COPD has historically been thought to occur predominantly in men, even though there is no published local data on gender differences in the chronic disease. With support from pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim Singapore, the country’s COPD Association conducted a two-year study, which debunked this perception. 949 adults, of whom roughly two-thirds were men, completed a questionnaire to assess their risk of getting COPD, and then underwent spirometry, a breathing test that measures lung function and capacity, as part of the study.
The researchers detected COPD in 9.1% of the men surveyed and 8.4% of the women, though the difference was greater in smokers and ex-smokers (80% and 30%, respectively). According to president of the COPD Association (Singapore) Ong Kian Chung, evidence is increasingly suggesting that COPD in women in Western countries is rising in prevalence and mortality. For example, data from the United States has shown more COPD deaths among women than men.
So why are women potentially more at risk to COPD? Dr Ong, a respiratory physician in private practice, said smoking-related lung damage could be a bigger risk to women as their lungs are smaller and hormonal or genetic differences could also be a factor. He also pointed to under-reporting in smoking rates among women, and the perception that men are more prone to getting COPD, as reasons for why doctors do not diagnose it enough in women.
To tackle COPD, which is Singapore’s seventh most common cause of hospitalisation, and the seventh most common cause of deaths, COPD Association (Singapore) vice-president Tan Tze Lee advised smokers not to accept persistent coughs as normal ‘smoker’s cough’. Further, you should be looking for symptoms of the disease, which includes wheezing and increased mucus or phlegm. The association has also distributed spirometers to more than 300 of the country’s GPs, in order to improve early detection and effective management.