On the eve of World Asthma Day, which is celebrated this year on May 7, experts from the Cohen Family Asthma Institute report that the risks of disease bronchial asthma changes depending on the gender and age of the person.
According to the data presented, between the ages of 2 and 13, boys are more likely to suffer from asthma than girls. But after 14 years, and especially over the age of 23 years, asthma is more common among women. And so it goes up to 45 years. In older people, the severity of the disease increases in men, but not in women. At the same time, although over the past 20 years, the mortality rate from this disease has decreased, the representatives of the weaker sex die from asthma 2 times more often than men and boys.
Scientists explain this hormonal differences between the sexes. So, in the premenstrual period and the menstruation period, the lung function in women decreases – the forced expiratory volume decreases in 1 second (FEV1), other respiratory symptoms appear. This leads to an increase in airway hyperresponsiveness and more frequent seeking of medical care. During pregnancy, many women with asthma improve, but every third, by contrast, suffers from worsening symptoms.
Thus, scientists believe that age and gender should be considered when determining the risk group for each specific person. At the same time, if asthma has already manifested itself, asthmatics should be able to control the course of the disease. To this end, Philips has developed various devices: a peak flow meter (for tracking peak expiratory flow rate), a spacer (an additional gadget for an inhaler that provides medicine during inhalation and blocking its intake during expiration) and others. such a dangerous time for asthmatics, as the height of spring.