Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Number five on the list of top ten threats to women's health is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. COPD is a group of chronic lung diseases which include chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

It kills more women than breast cancer, yet many have never heard of it. Eight out of ten cases are caused by smoking.

An estimated three million people in the UK have COPD, but only 900,000 are diagnosed, probably because many ignore the symptoms. COPD is more common in men than women, but research has shown that women are more susceptible to the disease than men.

Thanks to increasing numbers of women smoking, COPD rates are now nearly three times greater among women than men.

Symptoms you shouldn't ignore:

Smokers and ex-smokers should never ignore a "smokers cough." Early signs of COPD include:

• Cough
• Phlegm
• Shortness of breath

These may worsen through time or get worse in the winter months. COPD can't be cured, but it can be slowed down by medication. The quicker it's caught the better. Stopping smoking also slows down disease progression.

Prevention

The best way to prevent it is to stop smoking. Stopping smoking will reduce your risk and help improve your symptoms if you have COPD. Your GP can also carry out a lung function test to assess any damage to your lungs.

This article was published on Wed 17 February 2010