Respiratory diseases: Sex and gender evidence in obstructive sleep apnea, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and asthma

Abstract Mounting evidence demonstrates sex- and gender-specific differences in the prevalence, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of many common respiratory diseases. This chapter reviews these differences for three respiratory diseases: obstructive sleep apnea, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and asthma. Clinicians are continually challenged with atypical presentations of common diseases, potentially involving sex- and gender-based differences. Understanding how sex and gender may influence these diseases, either through genetics, fluctuating sex hormones (such as during menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause or through other mechanism) can be helpful in everyday medical practice and may allow clinicians to provide a more individualized approach to their management of patients with respiratory disease.