skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Report: COPD More Prevalent in Women than Men

play audio
Play

Thursday, June 6, 2013   

SPOKANE, Wash. - COPD is the nation's third-leading cause of death, and in Washington, almost 5 percent of the population has been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. However, a new report calls attention to those who have not yet gotten that diagnosis.

The American Lung Association (ALA) report says women are 37 percent more likely to have COPD than men. It's partly because women have smaller lungs, making pollutants and secondhand smoke more concentrated in their system.

Sheryl McDonald, lung health manager for Washington state, ALA of the Mountain Pacific, says a lot of people just assume shortness of breath means they are out of shape or getting older.

"If you are having some symptoms that really seem out of the norm," she said, "just for peace of mind, it's a great idea to see your doctor or health care worker and express your concerns, and perhaps have a spirometry test to rule out COPD."

The spirometry test is simple, she explained, requiring breathing into a device that measures lung function. In Washington, more than 124,000 women have been diagnosed with COPD - 36,000 more women than men.

Dr. Steven Brown, a pulmonary specialist, says smoking is a huge factor. He notes that the first wave of female COPD cases came during World War II, when women began smoking at work - and the trend continued with what he called the "Virginia Slims generation."

"These are women who were, unfortunately, duped by tobacco marketing during the 1960s, where tobacco was linked to the women's movement, very inappropriately," he said.

Since 2000, COPD has claimed the lives of more women than men, according to the report. Brown said he is optimistic that education and continued efforts to discourage smoking will help. The number of deaths among women from COPD has more than quadrupled since 1980.

The report, "Taking Her Breath Away: The Rise of COPD in Women," is available at www.lung.org.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021