Non-Smoking COPD: Why Do Women Have a Higher Prevalence?

Women and older adults are at a higher risk of non-smoking COPD, that can be attributed to indoor pollution.

Highlights:

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a lung disease that causes restriction of airflow
A recent study has shown that women and older adults are at a higher risk of non-smoking COPD
High levels of indoor pollution caused by biomass fuel could be the reason behind the prevalence

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a prevalent lung condition that causes reduced airflow and breathing difficulties. The lungs of persons with COPD might become damaged due to mucus. Coughing, occasionally with phlegm, difficulty breathing, wheezing, and fatigue are all symptoms ().

Smoking is an important risk factor for COPD, which has long been thought to be a smoker's disease. However, non-smokers now account for one-third of all COPD patients worldwide.

Women and Older Adults at High Risk of Non-Smoking COPD

Women and older persons are more likely to have non-smoking COPD, according to a new systematic study published online in the journal Respiratory Medicine ().

Why is COPD Risk Higher in Women?
Lung airways are smaller in women than in men. Hence, the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is higher in women than in men.

‘The reason behind the increase in the prevalence of non-smoking COPD in women could be indoor pollution. #COPD’

Through a search of the Embase and PubMed databases, a group of Spanish researchers conducted a systematic assessment of the literature to describe COPD in patients who had never smoked.

The review excluded studies in which patients self-reported COPD based on their symptoms or defined COPD based on pre-bronchodilator FEV1/FVC ratio measurements.

Non-smokers were people who had never smoked or had smoked 100 cigarettes in their lifetime or 1 cigarette daily in the previous 6 months. In total, 17 clinical trials were included in the final analysis.

Never Smoking Obese Older Women More Likely to Develop COPD
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is much more prevalent among never smoking obese older women, reveals a new study.

The analysis covered 57,146 participants in total. 25,047 of them had never smoked. 2655 of the non-smokers had non-smoking COPD. Data analysis revealed that COPD was more common in women and older persons among nonsmokers. They also had a greater prevalence of co-morbidities.

Indoor Pollution: The Answer for High Prevalence of Non-Smoking COPD in Women

This study compares the COPD symptoms of non-smokers versus smokers. The increased frequency among women, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, could be attributed to high levels of indoor pollution caused by the biomass fuel.

The review, however, highlighted a lack of adequate evidence, notably addressing non-smoker COPD, as only two of the 17 studies included in the analysis had an exclusive non-smoker study sample.

Appropriate Intervention May Lower COPD Risk in Women with Asthma
Proper intervention may decrease COPD risk in women with asthma, finds a new study

Given that nonsmokers account for at least one-third of all COPD patients, there is an urgent need for additional studies to better understand the natural history as well as clinical aspects of the disease in this patient group when compared to smokers.

References:

Key facts about Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - (https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-(copd))
Clinical characteristics of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in never-smokers: A systematic review - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37211258/)

COPD Affects Men and Women Differently
In the first study to directly compare men and women with COPD, and severe emphysema, researchers have found that there are marked differences between the sexes.

Source-Medindia