The main characteristic of asthma — a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways — is difficulty breathing when a person is exposed to allergens, ranging from specific foods to sudden changes in weather and contact with waste such as pollen or dust.
There are also genetic factors, including a family history of asthma or rhinitis and obesity. But why does it reach more women?
According to the IBGE’s National Health Survey (2019), more than 8 million Brazilians aged 18 and over have been diagnosed with asthma. Most of them, 5.1 million, are women, against 3.2 million men.
For those who suffer from the disease, the most common symptoms are frequent, prolonged coughing, usually at night, not always with phlegm; wheezing, tiredness, tightness in the chest with difficulty breathing.
In the most severe cases, the disease can cause debilitating episodes. That was the case for Welsh Lisa Hall: diagnosed with asthma shortly after having her son, she worried if she would be well enough to care for him.
About 180,000 women in Wales have asthma, and data suggest it kills twice as many women as men. A charity in Lisa’s country said women were being sidelined by science, given the lack of research into the links between hormonal changes and asthma.
Nearly 70% of people who died of asthma in the country between 2016 and 2020 were women, according to the country’s official data.
In a new report, the charity Asthma + Lung UK said urgent investment in research is needed, claiming that inequalities and a lack of research are leaving women “stuck in a cycle of getting in and out of the hospital and, in some cases, losing their lives.”
Lisa was 28 when she was diagnosed with asthma shortly after having her child, and said she needed to not only adjust to being a mother, but “had this new diagnosis to juggle.”
“I wouldn’t want a new mother or any other woman or girl to experience the same thing as me,” she said. “We need to better understand how asthma affects women so we can find new treatments that bring people like me back to life.”
Having spent the last 13 years living with the disease, Lisa is worried about what might happen if her asthma gets worse.
The biomedical scientist said she noticed her asthma got worse before and during menstruation. Often the condition caused her to struggle to breathe.
“I think for some people talking about their menstrual cycle is quite taboo, so it would help if it was thought of more on a medical level so that questions can be raised from the side of the medical professional rather than coming from the patient.” , said Lisa.
“This could open up potentially better avenues of discussion and treatment options for women and girls who find themselves in a similar position,” he added.
In childhood, asthma is more prevalent and severe in boys. However, after puberty, the situation is reversed, and asthma becomes more common and stronger among women. Researchers believe that this is partly due to the presence of female hormones, which become more present in the body during this phase of life, but research is still lacking to define a clear relationship.
Hospital admission rates in Wales for asthma are similar by sex in early adolescence, but are nearly three times higher in women than men aged 20 to 49, according to research analysis. Asthma + Lung UK.
The study says that women continue to be a secondary issue when it comes to research funding and that a large investment is needed to analyze sex-related differences in asthma.
‘Knowledge gaps leave women excluded’
Sara Woolnough, Chief Executive of Asthma + Lung UK, pointed out: “Gaps in our knowledge are failing women, leaving them struggling with debilitating asthma symptoms, stuck in a cycle of being in and out of hospital and, in some cases, cases, losing their lives.
“We urgently need more research investment in this area so we can find new treatments and better use existing treatments to help millions of women and save lives.”
A Welsh government spokesperson said: “We hope that women affected by asthma will be supported by the public health system in line with recommended clinical practice. This includes providing individualized care plans that reflect the different needs of patients.”
“Any emerging evidence on the causes of more serious illness among women would need to be considered by guideline-setting organizations and, where necessary, incorporated into recommended clinical practice.”
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