ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a rapidly growing public health problem in the United States. It is unclear whether men and women differ in their utilization of ambulatory care or medications prescribed for COPD. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate sex-related trends in physician-office and out-patient department COPD visits from 1995 through 2004. METHODS: We pooled data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) to derive national estimates of out-patient ambulatory COPD visits. For trend analysis we stratified the data into 2-year periods and by sex. The main variables of interest were the number of out-patient visits for COPD, patient characteristics, comorbidities, and medications prescribed. RESULTS: From 1995 to 2004, COPD-related out-patient visits increased among women and men; oral corticosteroids and short-acting bronchodilators were the most commonly prescribed drugs for both women and men; and prescriptions for inhaled corticosteroid decreased in both women (from 20% to 11%) and men (from 20 to 17%). In 2004, women surpassed men in out-patient COPD visits. CONCLUSIONS: COPD visits increased among both sexes, but the upward trend in COPD visits among women indicates that COPD is no longer a male-dominated disease. Providers should be aware of this shift in patient demographics and the differences between the sexes in COPD management.
