Clinical Characteristics of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Female Patients: Findings from a KOCOSS Cohort

Abstract

Joon Young Choi,1,* Shin Young Kim,2,* Jae Ha Lee,3 Yong Bum Park,4 Yee Hyung Kim,5 Soo-Jung Um,6 Ki Suck Jung,7 Kwang Ha Yoo,8 Seoung Ju Park,9 Hyoung Kyu Yoon10 1Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Incheon St. Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea; 2Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Vincent’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea; 3Division of Pulmonology, Department of Internal Medicine, Inje University College of Medicine, Haeundae Paik Hospital, Busan, Republic of Korea; 4Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym University Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Seoul 134-701, Republic of Korea; 5Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; 6Division of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Dong-A University College of Medicine, Dong-A University Medical Center, Busan, Republic of Korea; 7Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University Medical School, Anyang, Republic of Korea; 8Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; 9Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju, Republic of Korea; 10Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Yeouido St Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea*These authors contributed equally to this work.Correspondence: Hyoung Kyu YoonDivision of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Yeouido St Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, #62 Youido-Dong Yeongdeungpo-Gu, Seoul, Republic of KoreaTel [phone]Fax [phone]Email [email protected]: The prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in females has increased, changing the concept of COPD as a disease mostly limited to males. In this study, the clinical characteristics of COPD in females were investigated.Patients and Methods: The study was based on a multicenter cohort of COPD patients recruited from 54 medical centers in South Korea. Sex-based differences in general characteristics, exposure risk factors, depression scores, results of pulmonary function tests, COPD exacerbation, symptom scores, and radiologic findings were evaluated. Sex-related differences in the annual FEV1 change over 5 years were analyzed in a linear mixed model.Results: Of the 2515 patients enrolled in this study, 8.1% were female. Female patients who had a higher BMI and a lower level of education were less likely to be smokers, were more exposed to passive smoking/biomass, and were more depressed compared to males. The rates of bronchiectasis, previous childhood respiratory infection, and asthma were higher in females. Female patients also had more symptoms and a poorer exercise capacity than males, but no significant differences were observed in terms of exacerbations. Radiologic findings revealed that male patients had worse emphysema, and female patients had worse bronchiectasis, as determined based on chest X-ray and computed tomography findings. On pulmonary function tests, female patients had less obstruction and less annual FEV1 loss over 5 years.Conclusion: This study revealed differences in the clinical parameters between male and female patients with COPD, including general characteristics, disease characteristics, and clinical outcomes.Keywords: COPD, gender difference, KOCOSS database, cohort study

Keywords

• copd
• gender difference
• kocoss database
• cohort study