« Women who smoke the same as men become more ill of it »

A new study from Herlev and Gentofte Hospital documents that women have almost twice as much risk as men of developing COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) or dying from a respiratory disease – even in the same tobacco consumption.

This is how it writes DR.

The study, published in the acclaimed journal ‘Thorax’, is based on data from nearly 105,000 Danes collected through the Herlev-Østerbro study.

Here, 47,231 men and 57,806 women have been followed over ten years. Among these, the researchers have studied data from about 58,000 current and former smokers.

According to professor and consultant Shoaib Afzal, one of the main forces behind the study, the difference is clear.

« Women who smoke the same as men get sicker from it, » he says, emphasizing that it is especially in terms of worsening of COPD and deaths as a result of respiratory diseases.

Should not be assessed after the same

About 400,000 Danes live with the diagnosis of COPD, figures from the Lung Association show. In up to 90 percent of cases, the cause is smoking.

But so far, treatment guides and prevention efforts have been largely the same for both genders.

Afzal emphasizes that the new results should cause doctors and health authorities to change approach.

« Women and men should not be assessed on the same scale, » he says.

Furthermore, he warns that even a limited consumption of tobacco after a COPD diagnosis can have more serious consequences for women than for men.