The science behind “man flu”

@article{Sue2017TheSB,
  title={The science behind “man flu”},
  author={Kyle Sue},
  journal={British Medical Journal},
  year={2017},
  volume={359}
}
  • K. Sue
  • Published 11 December 2017
  • Law
  • British Medical Journal
Kyle Sue explores whether men are wimps or just immunologically inferior 
View on BMJ
bmj.com
47 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
1
Background Citations
16
Results Citations
1

47 Citations

Evolutionary benefit of “man flu”? Try rephrasing the question
I enjoyed Sue’s investigations into the potential physiological basis of “man flu,” particularly the fairly good evidence of sex differences in response to rhinoviruses.1 Studies indicating that…
Proportionate response to “man flu”
Sue’s paper on “man flu” is phrased in a way that may be slightly counterproductive in terms of promoting a shared agenda of peaceful, respectful co-existence between all sexes.1 It is also a paper…
Die „Männergrippe“ gibt es wirklich!
  • D. Einecke
  • Philosophy, Medicine
    MMW - Fortschritte der Medizin
  • 2018
Jammernde erkältete Männer leiden tatsächlich stärker unter Husten und Schnupfen als Frauen, weil Testosteron das Immunsystem schwächt. Es handelt sich um einen geschickten Schachzug der Evolution.
Article on “man flu” encourages negative views of male health
  • C. Manlow
  • Medicine, Political Science
    British Medical Journal
  • 2018
I know The BMJ ’s Christmas issue is tongue in cheek, but Sue’s article on “man flu” is inappropriate.1 It panders to pejorative views of male health and is sexist. Why is it acceptable for society…
Man flu is related to health communication rather than symptoms and suffering
TLDR
It is found that men over-rated their symptoms compared with a clinician’s judgment more often than did women, and this is likely due to men communicating their symptoms differently from women, rather than having different immune functioning.
Man flu: less inflammation but more consequences in men than women
Sue presents extensive evidence from animal and human studies to show that men might suffer more than women in response to the same microbial challenge, that this may be related to sex hormones, and…
Sind Frauen schuld an der „Männergrippe“?
Jammernde Männer mit Erkältung sind keine Weicheier und Waschlappen, sie leiden tatsächlich stärker unter Husten und Schnupfen als Frauen. Das liegt wohl am Testosteron. Und an Frauen, die…
COVID-19–Considerations for the Female Athlete
TLDR
This commentary specifically considers recommendations and requirements for the female athlete with a physiological emphasis during and following the COVID-19 pandemic, however, it will be relevant for any similar future scenarios that may present.
Could Estrogen Protect Women From COVID-19?
TLDR
The evidence and mechanisms by which estrogen could provide protection to women from a variety of viruses, perhaps including the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 are evaluated.
Sex- and Gender-specific Observations and Implications for COVID-19
TLDR
This work aims to provide a forward-looking, scalable, and scalable approach to provide real-time information about the use of EMTs in the rapidly changing environment of urban emergency departments.
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References

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Are reports of “man flu” just Nuts?
  • P. Boynton
  • Education
    BMJ : British Medical Journal
  • 2006
What's more worrying, the public believing in a manufactured illness or their not trusting genuine health research? We may have dismissed men as being overly dramatic when they claimed a cold as…
Gender differences in flu severity: Fact or fiction?
TLDR
Jane comes in to the pharmacy and requests some 'cold and flu' tablets for her husband Paul who says he is 'dying', and is curious as to why he seems to be much sicker than she was.
The Sicker Sex
  • M. Zuk
  • Biology
    PLoS pathogens
  • 2009
TLDR
An evolutionary approach is discussed to the question of why males so often die sooner and develop more diseases than females, and why the gap between men's and women's lifespans will close as the authors develop better medical care and education about health risks.
Gonadal steroids and immunity.
TLDR
The effects of gonadal steroids on the function of the normal immune system as well as their impact on autoimmune processes are examined and current knowledge of the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which Gonadal Steroid effects on Immunity are explored.
Mechanisms of sex disparities in influenza pathogenesis
TLDR
Small animal models of influenza virus infection illustrate that inflammatory immune responses also differ between the sexes and impact the outcome of infection, with females generating higher proinflammatory cytokine and chemokine responses and experiencing greater morbidity and mortality than males.
The men’s health gap: men must be included in the global health equity agenda
In most parts of the world, health outcomes among boys and men continue to be substantially worse than among girls and women, yet this gender-based disparity in health has received little national,…
Antibody responses and cross protection against lethal influenza A viruses differ between the sexes in C57BL/6 mice.
Gender differences in the perceptions of common cold symptoms
How sex and age affect immune responses, susceptibility to infections, and response to vaccination
TLDR
This review deals with the aging immune system and its interplay with sex steroid hormones and suggests interventions, which distinctively consider the changing level of individual hormones, shall provide potent options in maintaining optimal immune functions.
A brief history of animal modeling.
TLDR
Comparative medicine is founded on the concept that other animal species share physiological, behavioral, or other characteristics with humans, and animal models are employed in virtually all fields of biomedical research including basic biology, immunology and infectious disease, oncology, and behavior.
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