In 2018, of the 17.5 million people with COPD in the United States, over 10 million were women [1]. 156,045 people died from COPD, making it the 3rd leading cause of death for women and the 4th leading cause of death for men [2]. While the mortality rates for men have decreased over the last 20 years, the mortality rates for women remain relatively unchanged.
Women are often diagnosed with COPD later than men, when the disease has progressed further and there are less treatment options. Researchers have also discovered that women may be more vulnerable to the effects of tobacco and other air pollutants [1]. Women have accounted for a higher percentage of emergency department treat-and-release visits compared to men (56% vs. 44%), as well as emergency department visits resulting in hospital admission (53% vs. 47%); however, they had lower 7-day (6.2 vs. 7.1 per 100,000) and 30-day (1.9 vs. 2.3 per 100,000) hospital readmission rates compared to men [3].
In 2019, total estimated medical costs attributable to COPD reached $71 billion [4]. Medical costs, including prescription drugs, hospitalizations, emergency department visits, and other health care visits varied by disease severity. The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) characterizes COPD into 3 severity grades: Mild, Moderate, and Severe/Very Severe. Estimated medical costs for patients in the United States with mild COPD were highest, totaling $47 billion. However, patients with very severe COPD had the highest annual cost per-person ($6,456) [4]. That same year, studies estimated an additional $6.92 billion in indirect costs attributed to absenteeism among individuals with COPD [4].
