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When a man kick of cold orflu symptom , it may not be fair to dismiss his laments as simply a case of " man flu . " Men may really experience worse symptoms than women after catching a respiratory computer virus , a new review suggests .

The review waspublished today(Dec . 11 ) in a special Christmas issue of the aesculapian journal The BMJ ; the holiday edition feature inquiry that is more light-hearted than the daybook ’s usual fare .

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" Man flu " mention to the idea that men may exaggerate the symptom of a underage illness , such as a cold .   Although the term is commonly used ( particularly in the United Kingdom ) , no scientific review so far has examined whether the term is appropriate or accurate , said Dr. Kyle Sue , a clinical help professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada , who authored the BMJ review .

In a search of the scientific literature , Sue find grounds that military man may have a weakerimmune responseto the viruses that cause flu or the common cold , and as a outcome , men may have a greater risk for serious symptoms , and even last , from these viruses . [ Men vs. fair sex : Our Key Physical Differences excuse ]

For example , a 2008 study establish that woman had a solid resistant reply to theflu vaccine , meaning they produced greater levels of antibody against the computer virus tense in the vaccine , liken with men .

An ill man blowing his nose and holding a cup of tea.

Other study from Hong Kong and the United States have found that , compared with cleaning woman , men have a higher risk for infirmary price of admission anddeath from the grippe .

" The concept of man flu , as ordinarily defined , is potentially unfair , " Sue wrote in the paper . " Men may not be hyperbolize symptoms but have weak immune reaction to viral respiratory viruses , moderate to greater morbidness and mortality than seen in charwoman , " he said .

It ’s not clear why serviceman may have a weaker resistant reception to respiratory virus , but hormones could dally a role , with the " female"hormone estrogen , in exceptional , providing a protective effect against these virus , Sue said .

Image of five influenza viruses, depicted in bright colors

For exemplar , in a 2016 report , researchers expose manlike and female human nasal bone cells to estrogen in a lab dish aerial , and then infected the cell with the influenza virus . The researcher found that the estrogen reduce the levels of flu computer virus in the cells from female donors , but not male person donors .

What ’s more , other studies have suggested that the " male " hormonetestosteronemay lower the body ’s resistant answer to flu virus , Sue said .

Still , more research in this area is require , in part because some of the studies let in in the revue did not look at factors like smoke and preventive - charge visits , which could affect people ’s overall wellness and their power to respond to cold and influenza viruses , Sue say . The current inspection was not capable to include research on respiratory viruses that did not separate out the resultant role by sexual activity .

Sickle cell anaemia. Artwork showing normal red blood cells (round), and red blood cells affected by sickle cell anaemia (crescent shaped). This is a disease in which the red blood cells contain an abnormal form of haemoglobin (bloods oxygen-carrying pigment) that causes the blood cells to become sickle-shaped, rather than round. Sickle cells cannot move through small blood vessels as easily as normal cells and so can cause blockages (right). This prevents oxygen from reaching the tissues, causing severe pain and organ damage.

Some researchers have speculated that military man ’s apparently weaker resistant response to sealed viruses has an evolutionary explanation , Sue said . For our ancestors , the effects of testosterone ( i.e. , increase muscularity and pearl quite a little ) may have overbalance the likely immunosuppressive effect of the internal secretion , he say . ( More research , however , is require to examine this hypothesis . )

Sue also mark that there could be benefits to the extreme energy conservation that homo seem to require when afflicted with flu . " Lying on the couch , not get under one’s skin out of bed or incur aid with activity of daily living could also be evolutionarily behaviors that protect against vulture , " Sue wrote in his tongue - in - cheek termination . " Perhaps now is the time for male person - friendly space , equip with tremendous televisions and reclining chairs , to be go down up where men can recover from the debilitating effects of Isle of Man flu in rubber and comfortableness . "

Original clause onLive scientific discipline .

Illustration of coronavirus particles. Coronaviruses are a group of viruses named for their appearance under electron microscopy, where their round-tipped surface spikes make them resemble a crown.

a rendering of an estrogen molecule

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a point-of-view image of an anaesthetist placing a mask on a patient

A healthy human brain under an MRI scan.

A healthcare worker places a bandage on a girls� arm after a vaccine

Sick woman blowing her nose while covered with a blanket.

A row of dairy cows

A white duck with an orange beak is shown perching on a rock.

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an illustration showing a large disk of material around a star

a person holds a GLP-1 injector

A man with light skin and dark hair and beard leans back in a wooden boat, rowing with oars into the sea

an MRI scan of a brain

A photograph of two of Colossal�s genetically engineered wolves as pups.

An illustration of a hand that transforms into a strand of DNA