Asthma Attacks Send Women To The Hospital More Often Than Men

New findings published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology show that women are 60 percent more likely than men to need hospitalization if they have asthma.

For the study, researchers looked at sex differences in patient characteristics, along with the risk of hospitalizations in 2,000 ED patients with acute asthma.

"It's important to note the men and women whose charts we studied had certain things in common," lead study author Rose Chasm, said in a news release. "Most had not been seen by an allergist, and had not used controller medications (inhaled corticosteroids) for their asthma. In addition, many were overweight and some were active smokers. A fairly high percentage did not have health insurance, although women had it more often than men. After adjusting for all those factors, we found that women were still 60 percent more likely to be hospitalized after being seen in an ED for acute asthma than men."

Researchers found that many of the patients involved had also dealt with chronic asthma. In fact, 13 percent of the women and 12 percent of the men had, at some point, even been intubated, which means that a plastic tube was placed in their windpipe to help keep airway open for them. Another 36 percent of the women and 32 percent of the men had been hospitalized for asthma in the past 12 months, suggesting that for patients with poorly controlled asthma, it was a high risk problem.

"It's long been known that after puberty, asthma is more common in women than men" added allergist James Sublett. "Only 10 percent of the women in this study had been seen by an allergist in the last year. Many people aren't aware that allergists are asthma specialists, and are among the best-equipped experts to help keep asthma under control. Those who see an allergist and use controller medications find themselves in the ED much less often, and experience fewer hospitalizations related to their asthma.

Several possible explanations include how women may perceive their breathing differently than men, female sex hormones, differences in airway hyperactivity and other potential explains that are still being examined. However, more research will be needed to determine the exact reason. 

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).