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Review
. 2015 Jun;15(6):28.
doi: 10.1007/s11882-015-0528-y.

Asthma is Different in Women

Joe G Zein  1 , Serpil C Erzurum
Affiliations
Review

Asthma is Different in Women

Joe G Zein et al. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 2015 Jun.

Abstract

Gender differences in asthma incidence, prevalence and severity have been reported worldwide. After puberty, asthma becomes more prevalent and severe in women, and is highest in women with early menarche or with multiple gestations, suggesting a role for sex hormones in asthma genesis. However, the impact of sex hormones on the pathophysiology of asthma is confounded by and difficult to differentiate from age, obesity, atopy, and other gender associated environmental exposures. There are also gender discrepancies in the perception of asthma symptoms. Understanding gender differences in asthma is important to provide effective education and personalized management plans for asthmatics across the lifecourse.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Serpil C. Erzurum was supported in part by the Alfred Lerner Memorial Chair in Innovative Biomedical Research. Joe G. Zein declares no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Adapted from 2012 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) Data [1]. Lifetime asthma prevalence (percent) stratified by age and gender, United States. The lifetime prevalence in asthma is higher in boys until the age of 14 and in girls after the after of 15 years
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References

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