title: Gender and asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap syndrome.
abstract: To assess relationships between obstructive lung diseases, respiratory symptoms, and comorbidities by gender.
  
  
  
  Data from 12 594 adult respondents to the 2012 South Carolina Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System telephone survey were used. Five categories of chronic obstructive airway disease (OAD) were defined: former asthma only, current asthma only, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) only, asthma-COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS), and none. Associations of these categories with respiratory symptoms (frequent productive cough, shortness of breath, and impaired physical activities due to breathing problems), overall health, and comorbidities were assessed using multivariable logistic regression for men and women.
  
  
  
  Overall, 16.2% of men and 18.7% of women reported a physician diagnosis of COPD and/or asthma. Former asthma only was higher among men than women (4.9% vs. 3.2%, t-test p = 0.008). Current asthma only was more prevalent among women than men (7.2% vs. 4.7%, p < 0.001), as was ACOS (4.0% vs. 2.2%, p < 0.001). Having COPD only did not differ between women (4.3%) and men (4.4%). Adults with ACOS were most likely to report the 3 respiratory symptoms. COPD only and ACOS were associated with higher likelihoods of poor health and most comorbidities for men and women. Current asthma only was also associated with these outcomes among women, but not among men.
  
  
  
  In this large population-based sample, women were more likely than men to report ACOS and current asthma, but not COPD alone. Gender differences were evident between the OAD groups in sociodemographic characteristics, respiratory symptoms, and comorbidities, as well as overall health.
authors.affiliation: a Division of Population Health , National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Atlanta , GA , USA.
authors.forename: Anne G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Wheaton
authors.affiliation: b Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine , Duke University School of Medicine , Durham , NC , USA.
authors.forename: Roy A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Pleasants
authors.affiliation: a Division of Population Health , National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Atlanta , GA , USA.
authors.forename: Janet B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Croft
authors.affiliation: c Section on Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy & Immunologic Disease , Wake Forest University School of Medicine , Winston Salem , NC , USA.
authors.forename: Jill A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ohar
authors.affiliation: d Chronic Disease Epidemiology Office , South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control , Columbia , SC , USA.
authors.forename: Khosrow
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Heidari
authors.affiliation: e Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine , Pulmonary Epidemiology Research Laboratory , University of Kentucky , Lexington , KY , USA.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Mannino
authors.affiliation: a Division of Population Health , National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Atlanta , GA , USA.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: f Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy and Sleep Medicine , Medical University of South Carolina , Charleston , SC , USA.
authors.forename: Charlie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Strange
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D040343:Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013022:South Carolina / Q000453:epidemiology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Respiratory symptoms; comorbidities; health status; health survey; obstructive lung disease; tobacco history