Women and Lung Disease

While this article comes out of the United Kingdom, I can assure you, the story is no different for women in the US.

Barbara C. Phillips, NP
OlderWiserWomen™

******************************

Many women are unaware of the dangers of a chronic lung disease which kills nearly as many British females as breast cancer, campaigners have warned.

The British Lung Foundation says rates of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are soaring and it may soon be the fourth biggest killer of women.

But only 1% of 1,200 women surveyed said COPD is their main health worry,

Women feared breast cancer most and 27% wrongly thought it - rather than heart disease - killed most women in Britain.

There was little more awareness about COPD among smokers who were questioned as part of the survey by the BLF.

Their habit puts them at 13-times greater risk of the condition - an umbrella term for lung conditions including emphysema and chronic bronchitis, which cause severe breathlessness and coughing.

Exposure to second-hand smoke and dust or fumes can also cause the disease. It can also, rarely, be a genetic condition.

Read More: BBC NEWS | Health | Women 'unaware of lung disease'