Four in 10 Women With Asthma May Develop COPD

New research shows that asthma may not just be a breathing or lung problem in and of itself. Canadian medical researchers have data showing women who have asthma are forty percent more likely to contract a significantly more severe lung disease or breathing disorder. One of the most severe medical issues that can arise is COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. While many of the factors that increase a patient’s risk for contracting COPD can be managed with lifestyle changes, asthma is not something a patient eliminate by such changes.

When a patient has both COPD and asthma, doctors refer to this as ACOS; asthma and COPD overlap syndrome. The latest research is revealing a very startling uptick in such ACOS patients. Especially female patients. When a patient has ACOS, they are more prone to complications that require hospitalization, and their general quality of life suffers as such a basic life function, breathing, is impacted by their medical condition.

Medical scientists are investigating diseases of the lung in hopes of identifying any manageable risk factors that might reduce the likelihood of people contracting asthma or other breathing problems in the first place. This would reduce the number of ACOS or COPD patients, and lead to better medical outcomes for future at-risk patients.

Key Points:

  • 1Women with asthma are at risk of developing more severe lung disease.
  • 2Low socio-economic standing and lack of adequate health care are risk factors for women.
  • 3Quit smoking and regular exercise are ways to prevent lung disease.


In general, those with ACOS have both a higher morbidity and mortality rate compared to those with just asthma or just COPD, men or women
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Written by HealthStatus
Medical Writer & Editor

HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our health risk assessment, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years.

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