New Delhi, Jan 9 (NationPress) Research released on Thursday highlights that women who undergo a lung transplant are statistically more likely than men to survive for five years following the procedure.
Despite this, women face more challenges in receiving a lung transplant, often waiting an average of six weeks longer than men, as outlined in a study published in ERJ Open Research.
The study's authors advocate for modifications in regulations and clinical practices to rectify this disparity.
Lead researcher Dr. Adrien Tissot from Nantes University Hospital, France, emphasized, “Individuals on the transplant waiting list experience an extremely poor quality of life; many are too ill to leave their homes and face a significant mortality risk.”
Lung transplants represent the sole viable treatment for patients suffering from end-stage respiratory failure, who also have elevated death risks while awaiting surgery.
Successful transplants can restore normal lung function, thereby enhancing both life expectancy and overall quality of life for recipients.
The investigation involved 1,710 subjects—802 women and 908 men—receiving care at one of France's 12 transplantation centers from 2009 to 2018.
Participants were monitored for approximately six years post-transplantation. The primary conditions affecting these patients included chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, and interstitial lung disease.
Dr. Tissot's findings indicated that women waited an average of 115 days for a lung transplant, in contrast to 73 days for men.
Significantly, survival rates post-transplant were higher for women, with 70 percent of female recipients alive five years later, compared to 61 percent of their male counterparts.
Moreover, the research indicated that most women received donor lungs that were matched based on both sex and height.
Researchers stress the need for clinicians, patients, and policymakers to recognize these gender differences to facilitate appropriate measures.
