Should Women be Concerned About Lung Disease?

Sadly, the answer is yes. Not only is the number of women diagnosed with lung disease in the United States on the rise, the percentage of women dying from lung disease is also increasing.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, lung disease is an important health concern for women. Here's why.

* Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death of women in the United States, killing more women than breast, ovarian and cervical cancers combined.

* Deaths from lung cancer among women have risen 150 percent in the last 20 years, while deaths among men are decreasing.

* Studies show that women are 1.5 times more likely to develop lung cancer than men.

* About 64,000 women in the United States die every year from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

* Sixty-five percent of people who die from asthma are women.

* Two times as many women are diagnosed with chronic bronchitis than men every year.

How can you prevent lung disease?

Stop smoking. Now. Smoking tobacco, in any form, is the major cause of lung cancer. People who stop smoking and never start again lower their risk of developing lung cancer or of having a recurrence.

Avoid second-hand smoke. Second-hand smoke comes from a burning cigarette tobacco-product smoke exhaled by smokers. People who inhale second-hand smoke are exposed to the same cancer-causing agents as smokers, although in lesser amounts. Inhaling second-hand smoke is called involuntary or passive smoking.

Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Fruit and vegetable-rich diets consumed over a long period of time can help prevent lung disease.

Breathe deeply. Keep your lungs strong and healthy by breathing deeply. The lungs are divided into lobes. The right lung has three lobes and the left lung has two. When you breathe too quickly, you only draw breath from the upper and middle lobes of the lung rather than using them all. The sheet-like muscle that lies at the bottom of the chest cavity helps pump air in and out of the lungs.

For more information, go the the American Lung Association, or email me, at jcurtis@mainstreetconnect.us

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