A new study about the use of oxygen to treat COPD found that the majority of patients receiving oxygen therapy were low-income, non-Hispanic white females about 75 years old with two or more other health conditions, according to The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

The UTMB study is the first to describe the current use of oxygen therapy among COPD patients in a large, nationally representative sample of US patients. Prescription of oxygen therapy currently stems from two small landmark studies conducted more than 40 years ago and was comprised of largely white males with an average 65 years without serious medical comorbidity. The current COPD population receiving oxygen therapy has changed considerably since then. The findings are detailed in PLOS One.