Predictors of COPD symptoms - does gender matter?

¹ Dept of Epidemiology and Bioinformatics, University Medical Centre Groningen, University of Groningen, Netherlands
² Dept of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, University Hospital, Lund, Sweden
³ Respiratory Division, Hammersmith Campus, NHLI, Imperial College, London, UK
⁴ Dept of Medicine, University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
⁵ Dept of Pulmonology, University Medical Centre Groningen, University of Groningen, Netherlands

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: d.s.postma{at}int.umcg.nl.

	Abstract

Though COPD patients frequently report symptoms, it is not known which factors determine the course of symptoms over time and if these differ by gender. This study investigated predictors for presence, development and remission of COPD symptoms in 816 men and 312 women completing three years follow-up in the Euroscop Study.

Explanatory variables of treatment, pack-years smoking, age, FEV₁ % predicted, annual increase in FEV₁ and number of cigarettes smoked, body mass index and phadiatop were included in GEE logistic regression analyses. Interaction terms of gender*explanatory variables were tested.

Over three years, similar proportions of men and women reported symptoms. In men only, higher FEV₁ % predicted was associated with reduction in new symptoms of wheeze and dyspnoea and symptom prevalence reduced with annual FEV₁ improvement and phlegm prevalence reduced with budesonide treatment (OR 0.66 95%CI 0.52-0.83). Additionally an increase in the number of cigarettes smoked between visits increased the risk of developing phlegm 1.40(1.14-1.70) and wheeze 1.24(1.03-1.51) in men but not women.

This study shows that longitudinally symptom reporting is similar by gender. The clinical course of COPD can differ by gender as men show greater response to cigarette exposure and treatment.

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