Grant: CIHR Fellowship

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, has generally been thought of as a "man's disease", but there has been a substantial increase in prevalence and mortality of COPD in women in the last 20 years. This increase is considered to be due to the rise in smoking among women after World War II. However, much of the data we have on the prevalence of COPD is from self-report surveys, or large-scale epidemiological studies (many of which have been conducted outside Canada). We have little understanding about the prevalence, diagnostic patterns and management of COPD in Canadian women and how these compare to men. The purpose of this study is to conduct an indepth analysis of the prevalence, diagnostic patterns and management of COPD in women compared to men, using data from the BC Linked Health Database. The BC Linked Health Database is a collection of databases that record physician visits, medication use, hospitalizations and mortality for the residents of BC, and provides a rich and detailed source of data from 1992 - 2004. Results from this study will improve our understanding of COPD in general and in women in particular.