The results of the present study indicate that the association
between blood cadmium levels and COPD was different in males
and females. Although no human studies have reported a differential
effect of cadmium on COPD prevalence according to gender,
several cross-sectional studies have demonstrated a difference in the association between cadmium levels and other diseases
according to gender. Tellez-Plaza et al. demonstrated a positive
linear trend between cadmium levels and peripheral arterial
disease in males who had never smoked, whereas this association
had a U-shaped trend in females who had never smoked (