Sex differences in lung vulnerability to tobacco smoking

Abstract

Studies have indicated that females are more vulnerable to the deleterious effect of tobacco smoking than males. The current study aimed to investigate the associations between tobacco smoking and reported respiratory symptoms, self-rated health, and lung function by sex.In 1995-1997 65,225 subjects aged o20 yrs (71% of invited) attended for screening within the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study. Among these, 10,941 subjects selected randomly or because they reported having asthma or asthma-related symptoms, participated in the Bronchial Obstruction in Nord-Trøndelag study consisting of spirometry and a personal interview.Tobacco smoking was associated with increased prevalence of respiratory symptoms, reduced lung function, and lower score on global self-rated health (SRH). Adjusted for smoking burden and lung function, females had a higher risk for reporting respiratory symptoms and lower SRH compared with males. Further, smoking burden was associated with a larger relative reduction in expiratory lung function in females than in males.Females reported more symptoms and lower self-rated health compared with males with similar smoking burden. Even if smoking in females was associated with a larger reduction in per cent predicted lung function compared with males, this does not fully explain the higher symptom prevalence in females.

Susceptibility to air pollution in elderly males and females

“…This finding is in accordance with data that show females have a relatively strong airway responsiveness during Mch provocation testing compared with males [8][9][10][11]22]. It has been suggested that the greater female airway responsiveness is due to the fact that females have a smaller airway calibre than males [22].…”

“…Moreover, to further explore individual risk factors for susceptibility to air pollution males and females were investigated separately. Females are known to have a higher degree of AHR than males, which has been related to increased susceptibility to the effect of environmental exposures, such as tobacco smoke, irritants and allergens [8][9][10][11]. Therefore, females with increased IgE and AHR may constitute a group at high risk for effects of air pollution on the respiratory system.…”

Occupational exposure and incidence of respiratory disorders in a general population

“…However, the JEM-based exposure characterization is less subject to recall bias than the self-reported exposure characterization (6,19,20). Thus, a tendency for a stronger relationship between airborne occupational exposures and asthma, and symptoms in women could be due to women being more vulnerable to airborne pollutants than men (21,22). The results also indicate that women seem to develop respiratory symptoms at a lower exposure-level compared to men, and this may also be explained by a higher vulnerability among women.…”

Kwaliteit van leven bij rokers: zijn functionele beperkingen belangrijker dan longfunctie?

“…4,5,17,24 Vrouwen -rooksters én niet-rooksters -melden vaker luchtwegsymptomen dan mannen, en consulteren vaker de huisarts voor luchtwegklachten. [25][26][27][28][29] Wij maten de kwaliteit van leven met een algemene vragenlijst (SF-36) en een ziektespecifieke vragenlijst (QOL-RIQ). De SF-36 is betrouwbaar, gevoelig en valide gebleken bij patiënten met Men mag daarom verwachten dat het onafhankelijke verband tussen dyspneuscore en kwaliteit van leven ook gevonden zal worden bij vrouwelijke rokers.…”