- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is the 3rd top cause of death in the US
- 7% African American women who never smoked have COPD, 5.2% White women
- By contrast, just 2.9% of never-smoking White men have COPD
Mia De Graaf For Dailymail.com
1
View
comments
Women, more than men, are more prone to a form of cigarette-related cancer – even if they have never smoked.
That is according to new research by the University of Toronto, which marks a milestone in understanding the staggering rates of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in women.
They found the illness is particularly common among African American women.
Seven percent of never-smoking older African American women and 5.2 percent of White older women have COPD.
In comparison, just 2.9 percent of never-smoking older White men.
Women who have never smoked are more prone to a cigarette-related cancer than men who have never smoked, new research reveals
COPD is the third leading cause of death in the United States.
Smoking is the biggest risk factor for the disease.
However, around 25 percent of Americans with COPD have never smoked.
‘Women had approximately 50 percent higher odds of COPD compared to white men even when we adjusted for height, education, income, and health care access,’ said lead author, Professor Esme Fuller-Thomson.
She added that hormones may play a significant role in the disparity, and added: ‘women are more likely to have been exposed to second-hand smoke from spouses who smoke.’
The study used a representative sample of 129,535 Americans aged 50 and older who had never smoked.
The sample included 8,674 African American women, 2,708 African American men, 80,317 white women, and 37,836 white men, drawn from the 2012 Behavioural Risk Surveillance.
Former soldier was left in a coma and needs a kidney…
Women wrongly believe breast cancer drug causes side effects…
The study was published online this week in the International Journal of Chronic Diseases.
‘African American women had, by far, the highest prevalence of COPD among older adults who had never smoked,’ said co-author Rachel Chisholm.
‘We found that after adjusting for income and education levels, the odds of COPD among African American women compared to white men declined by more than half.
‘We cannot determine causality with this data set, but poverty is associated with increased exposure to toxins, such as second-hand smoke in work-places and air pollution in inner city environments.
‘Future research needs to investigate if these factors play a role in the greater vulnerability of African American women.’
Professor Fuller-Thomson added that the findings should prompt health professionals to consider screening all their older patients for COPD, including those who have never smoked.
‘Earlier detection of COPD has been found to improve patient outcomes in both the short and long-term and is therefore an important clinical goal,’ she said.
Share or comment on this article
e-mail
Friends ’til the end: Heartbreaking moment a devoted dog…
Pomp and ceremony: We reveal the history and grandeur of the…
Kate wears Diana’s favorite tiara as the Royal Family pose…
Married high school English teacher, 29, sobs as she is…
Rider, 22, who took selfie with skeletal ex-racehorse she…
EXCLUSIVE: ‘Catwoman’ Jocelyn Wildenstein seen in her…
Would you have sex with a zombie? One-eyed hooker who looks…
EXCLUSIVE ‘Shut up! I hate you! Your mother is a b***h!’:…
Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie gives birth to baby…
‘Uh, I did it… I killed them’: Dylann Roof jury watch…
Patriots star Julian Edelman finally acknowledges the baby…
President Obama and the First Family buck tradition by using…
Comments (1)
Share what you think
-
Newest -
Oldest -
Best rated -
Worst rated
The comments below have not been moderated.
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.
Find out now