Menopause affects women’s lungs the same way as smoking 20 cigarettes a day for 10 YEARS

December 2, 2016

Hormonal changes have previously been linked to systemic inflammation
Researchers have now found it speeds up the decline in the lungs’ ability
The change thus affects the organ’s ability to expand and expel any air
Experts say it may increase women’s shortness of breath and cause fatigue

Stephen Matthews For Mailonline

Published:
07:48 EST, 2 December 2016

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Updated:
07:48 EST, 2 December 2016

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Going through the menopause impacts the lungs the same way as smoking 20 cigarettes a day for a decade, scientists claim.

Experts say the change accelerates the decline in the lungs’ ability to expand and expel air.

This could make middle-aged women who have come to the end of their menstrual cycle suffer from a shortness of breath and fatigue.

The menopause speeds up the decline in the lungs’ ability to expand and expel air, new research has found

Norwegian researchers looked at the forced vital capacity (FVC) – a measure of lung size – in 1,438 women aged between 25 and 48.

They also assessed the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) – how much air can be exhaled in one second.

All of the participants had not yet began the menopause and were followed over the next 20 years.

They found both measures of the lungs’ ability to function reduced in women going through the menopause, more so than what was expected.

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The decline in FVC was comparable to smoking 20 cigarettes a day for 10 years, the researchers said.

While the reduced FEV1 was the same as smoking 20 cigarettes a day for two years.

Experts concluded that the higher decline in the former was more likely to cause restrictive breathing problems, including sarcoidosis.

Lead researcher Kai Triebner, from the University of Bergen, said: ‘Women, and their physicians, should be aware that respiratory health might decline considerably during and after the menopausal transition.

Experts say the decline in lung function may cause an increase in shortness of breath, reduced work capacity and fatigue

‘This could mean that they experience shortness of breath already with low physical activity.’

He added: ‘Whether obstructive or restrictive, the decline in lung function may cause an increase in shortness of breath, reduced work capacity and fatigue.

‘Symptoms depend upon how much lung capacity is reduced, and a few women may actually develop respiratory failure as a result of this decline.

‘Women are living longer and, therefore, many years beyond menopause.

‘Our study highlights the importance of maintaining respiratory health long after the menopausal transition.’

Hormonal changes have previously been linked to systemic inflammation, which is associated with a decline in lung function.

While they are also implicated in osteoporosis, which shortens the height of the chest vertebrae, potentially limiting the amount of air someone can inhale.

But the researchers added that more studies are needed to confirm the link between reproductive ageing and respiratory health.

The study was published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.