Are There Sex Differences in Health-Related Quality of Life After Lung Transplantation for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease?

The primary study aim was to examine sex differences in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a sample of 37 patients (20 men, 17 women) with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who were evaluated both before and after lung transplantation. Main outcome measures were change in HRQoL from pre- to post-transplantation assessment as measured by the Short Form-36 Health Survey, Transplant Symptom Frequency Questionnaire, forced expiratory volume in 1 second percent predicted, and 6-minute walk test. Study findings showed (1) substantial gains in HRQoL, lung function, and physical endurance for most patients, (2) significant sex differences, with women reporting more frequent and problematic symptoms and a lower percentage gain in HRQoL than men, and (3) a higher percentage gain on spirometry findings after transplantation for women than for men. We conclude that there may be a need to examine the post-transplantation symptom profile of women and men separately.