Preprint Review Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Air Pollution Exposure as a Relevant Risk Factor for COPD Exacerbations in Male and Female Patients

Version 1 : Received: 30 September 2021 / Approved: 1 October 2021 / Online: 1 October 2021 (10:02:16 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Silva Rodriguez, M.E.; Silveyra, P. Air Pollution Exposure as a Relevant Risk Factor for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Exacerbations in Male and Female Patients. European Medical Journal 2022, doi:10.33590/emj/21-00228. Silva Rodriguez, M.E.; Silveyra, P. Air Pollution Exposure as a Relevant Risk Factor for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Exacerbations in Male and Female Patients. European Medical Journal 2022, doi:10.33590/emj/21-00228.

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a multifactorial lung inflammatory disease affecting 174 million people worldwide, with a recently reported increased incidence in female patients. Patients with COPD are especially vulnerable to the detrimental effects of environmental exposures, especially from air particulate and gaseous pollutants. Exposure to air pollution severely influences COPD outcomes, resulting in acute exacerbations, hospitalizations, and death. In the current study, we conducted a review of the literature addressing air pollution induced acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) in order to determine whether air pollution affects COPD patients in a sex-specific manner. We found that while the majority of studies enrolled both male and female patients, only a few reported results disaggregated by sex. Most studies had a higher enrollment of male patients, only four compared AECOPD outcomes between sexes, and only one study identified sex differences in AECOPD, with females displaying higher rates. Overall, our analysis of the literature confirmed that air pollution exposure is a trigger for AECOPD hospitalizations and revealed a significant gap in our knowledge of sex-specific effects of air pollutants on COPD outcomes, highlighting the need for more studies considering sex as a biological variable.

Keywords

COPD exacerbation; air pollution; hospital admission; sex differences

Subject

Medicine and Pharmacology, Pharmacology and Toxicology

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