Menopausal women need to take care of their bodies more, as according toa study on Science Daily, they may be at high risk for asthma.
Researchers used data from the US National Inpatient Sample to compare the ratio of males and females affected by this respiratory disease during adulthood. They found that more women than men were hospitalized due to asthma in their 50s and 60s.
“Until puberty, boys have higher rates of asthma than girls. Then, during the menopausal years, women’s hospitalization rates are double those of men in the same age group. This could indicate that asthma may have distinct biological traits,” says lead author Robert Yao-wen Lin, M.D.
Aside from quitting smoking, lessening drinking, and living a healthy lifestyle, experts recommend women in their 40s and 50s to go to their doctors for regular checkups, and inquire about the symptoms of and medications for asthma.
(Photo by marya via Flickr Creative Commons)
