This Tuesday, May 3, 2022 is the 23rd edition of World Health Day.asthma. On this occasion, the British association Asthma + Lung UK revealed information little known to the general public: the asthmatic women are more likely to die during an asthma attack.
“Le pollenthe air pollution and the dust are well-known asthma triggers. However, what people may not know is that fluctuations in female sex hormones can also cause a flare-up of asthma symptoms or even trigger life-threatening asthma attacks.
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Asthma more dangerous for women
By studying data from British patients suffering from this disease characterized by inflammation of the bronchi, the Asthma + Lung UK team noticed that hospitalizations are 2.5 times higher among women from 20 to 49 years old. Moreover, they had 1.81 times more likely to die of a seizure than men. Over the past five years, more than two-thirds of asthma deaths in the UK have been among women, with more than 5,100 women died once morest less than 2,300 men.
To explain these differences, the experts recall the link observed between the menstrual cycle and the occurrence of asthma attacks. English TV presenter Poppy Hadkinson, who has had asthma since she was a teenager, shared her experience with them: “There seemed to be a pattern in my symptoms, linked to my menstrual cycle. Almost every month before my period I was really sick with my asthma. My symptoms left me struggling to breathe, which was terrifying, and I often ended up in the hospital. The asthma attacks I suffered were so severe that I was ventilated four times at the age of 22 and wondered if I was going to survive until my next birthday.
“Understanding the role of sex hormones in asthma, we might transform the lives of the three million women with the disease in the UK and millions of women with asthma across the world. We have a urgent need to see more investment in research in this area so that we can find new treatments and make better use of existing medicines to help millions of women and save lives,” said Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of Asthma + Lung UK.
L’premenstrual asthma (APM) is a phenomenon known to health professionals. It would concern between 30 and 40% of women with asthma. “Changes in estrogen and progesterone levels during menstrual cycleinfluence the course of asthma: just before menstruation, estrogen and progesterone levels fall which increases the inflammation of the bronchi and their reactivity, and constitutes a major element in the mechanism of asthma”, specifies for its part the Health Insurance on its website.
Asthma: identifying the triggers of attacks
If no medicine can cure asthma, simple actions can reduce attacks. The organization stresses the importance of taking its preventive treatments every day following the directions on the prescription. In addition, it is recommended to consult for your asthma at least once a year. “Keep a symptom diary can also help identify what triggers a person’s asthma, including hormones,” advises Asthma + Lung UK.
