The flu season is coming again. On the train, at work and in the supermarket, there is a lot of sniffling and coughing everywhere. Men in particular have a hard time when they are struck by a flu or cold virus. If you have to believe women then. They often claim that their partner, brother, father or neighbor is suffering from the ‘man flu’. In other words, they’re just acting a bit. But is that really so? Or is there really a man flu that is much more spicy?
Women have a more active immune system
The immune system of women is generally more active than that of men, says Sabine Oertelt-Prigione, physician-researcher at Radboud university medical center and specialist in gender medicine. Both genetics and hormones play a role in this.
“Many genes involved in the immune system are on the X chromosome, of which women have two and men have one,” Oertelt-Prigione explains. ‘In the past we thought that one of those two X chromosomes does not work at all, but we now know that about fifteen percent of the genes on the second X chromosome are active. That could potentially give women an advantage.”
In addition, hormones also play a role in your resistance. Estrogen mainly has an activating effect on the immune system, while testosterone has an inhibitory effect. “We all produce these hormones, men also produce estrogens, but at a lower concentration than women,” says the doctor-researcher.
Is there some truth to the man flu?
Women seem to have an advantage in the flu season due to their strong immune system, but does this really make a significant difference? That doesn’t seem so bad. ‘In viral infections, the inflammation mechanisms are somewhat more active in women than in men, but this does not necessarily mean that the course of the disease is different or that the flu symptoms are less in women. There is no scientific evidence for that.’
It is possible that women recover a little faster after a bout of flu, says Oertelt-Prigione. ‘Women are not infected with flu viruses less often, but their immune system can finish building up antibodies more quickly, so you are ill for less time.’
Conclusion: it doesn’t matter much whether you are man or woman
Women may feel better more quickly after the flu, but there is no evidence that they also suffer less from the symptoms. “As healthcare professionals, we do not see major differences between the flu in men and women, but we do know that men are less likely to go to the doctor,” said Oertelt-Prigione. ‘Within a family or group of friends you may experience that men complain more about the flu, because they dare to make themselves vulnerable.’
Also read: what is the difference between flu and a cold? And why does flu always strike in winter?
2023-09-25 14:12:56
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