According to recent research, more than 4 in 10 individuals with asthma are at the risk of developing the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a group of lung diseases that block airflow and make it harder to breathe. The researchers examined risk factors for developing asthma and COPD overlap syndrome, known as ACOS.
The findings are published in the journal Annals of the American Thoracic Society, showed, “Individual risk factors played a more significant role in the development of ACOS than exposure to fine particulate matter, a major air pollutant that because of its microscopic size penetrates deep into the lungs.”
Research says, “Women who had smoked more than the equivalent of a pack of cigarettes a day for five years, were much more likely to develop ACOS than those who smoked fewer cigarettes or never smoked. However, ACOS did not affect only those who smoke as the researchers found that 38 percent of the women who developed ACOS in the study had never smoked.”
Teresa To, Professor at the University of Toronto in Canada said, “Previous studies have found an alarming rise in ACOS in women in recent years and that the mortality rate from ACOS was higher in women than men. We urgently need to identify and quantify risk factors associated with ACOS in women to improve their health and save lives.”
