Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in African- and European-American women: morbidity, mortality and healthcare utilization in the USA

Abstract

The impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is increasing in US women. In 2008–2010, an estimated 7.9 million US women were living with COPD. Chronic lower respiratory disease was the third leading cause of mortality in 2010 and was a major cause of morbidity. Its economic and social burden is both substantial and increasing in the USA. The annual number of COPD deaths is now higher in women than in men. In 2011, 72,584 women and 65,920 men aged 25 years and over died of COPD. The death rate in African-American women was only half compared with European-American women. Further, rates of COPD prevalence, emergency room visits and hospitalization were greater among women than men. This review reports the latest patterns and trends in several measures of COPD in US women.

Keywords:

• chronic bronchitis
• chronic obstructive
• disease frequency
• healthcare
• pulmonary disease
• pulmonary emphysema
• surveys

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Key issues

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in women in the USA.

• Prevalence of physician-diagnosed COPD and rate of hospital diagnosis of COPD were higher in women than men.

• The prevalence of COPD and hospitalization for COPD in women increased from 1999 to 2009.

• Women were twice as likely to be diagnosed with COPD as men.

• Since 1965, there has been a reduction in the smoking prevalence in both men and women; however, the reduction is less among women than among men.

• Since 2000, the number of women dying from COPD has surpassed the number in men.

• From 1999 to 2009, the annual number of deaths increased 5% among men and 19% among women.

• Mortality rate for COPD declined for both black and white men and remained unchanged among black females, however, among white women the mortality rate increased.

• Globally, COPD prevalence in women is likely to increase markedly as women in middle- and low-income countries adopt the same smoking habits as men, and are exposed to the same workplace risks.

• Physicians, women and groups interested in women’s health issues need to be aware of these trends and target prevention strategies toward females.

• Furthermore, more efforts are needed to prevent smoking initiation among girls and women.

Notes

^†Adapted from [82].