Pulmonary Literature Review and Complex Case Presentations Post Graduate Course-Update on Women's Health and Pregnancy Levine

Update on Women's Health and Pregnancy Levine

Pdf Summary

The literature review "Update on Pulmonary Medicine in Pregnancy and Women’s Health" by Dr. Stephanie M. Levine focuses on recent findings in sex/gender differences concerning lung cancer, smoking cessation, COPD, ILD, and pulmonary embolism.<br /><br />Key takeaways include:<br />- **Lung Cancer**: Women tend to have better survival rates post-surgery compared to men. Updates in lung cancer screening protocols, such as the 2021 USPSTF recommendations, have increased the number of women screened. Despite this, women tend to be less successful in smoking cessation within lung cancer screening trials.<br />- **COPD**: Women generally experience a greater decline in lung diffusing capacity over time than men. Additionally, they have a higher rate of COPD readmissions. Notably, there is a female predominance in younger patients with severe airflow limitation (FEV1 < 50%).<br />- **Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD)**: Treatment initiation varies geographically and by sex. In some regions, women are more likely to receive treatment than men, while the opposite is true in others.<br />- **Pulmonary Embolism**: Women undergoing percutaneous pulmonary artery thrombectomy demonstrate higher morbidity and mortality rates compared to men, possibly due to anatomical and physiological differences.<br /><br />The review highlights how biological and socio-demographic factors influence the epidemiology and outcomes of lung diseases. It underscores the need for tailored approaches in both screening and treatment, considering these gender differences. Despite advances, persistent disparities and unanswered questions suggest a necessity for further research to optimize healthcare delivery across sex and gender lines in pulmonary medicine.

Keywords

pulmonary medicine

pregnancy

women's health

lung cancer

smoking cessation

COPD

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

interstitial lung disease

pulmonary embolism

gender differences

healthcare disparities

COPD

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease