Men and women get sick in different ways
At the dawn of the third millennium, doctors still know very little about the effect on the course of symptoms of diseases of sexual differences, not only biological, but also social and psychological, as well as the significance of these features in terms of treatment and prevention. Unfortunately, medical research is traditionally conducted mainly with the participation of male patients.
Specialists of the clinic at the University of Padua (Italy), working under the guidance of Giovanella Baggio, conducted a study, the results of which indicate the existence of pronounced sex differences for the five issues considered: the course of diseases of the cardiovascular system, cancer, liver disease and osteoporosis, as well as the effects of pharmacological drugs.
Diseases of the cardiovascular system, traditionally considered as male diseases, cause a special set of symptoms in women. While the standard symptoms of a myocardial infarction in men are a feeling of compression in the chest and pain spreading to the left arm, in women, a heart attack usually manifests itself with nausea and pain in the lower abdomen. Despite the fact that myocardial infarctions in women are usually more severe and are accompanied by complications, patients complaining of these nonspecific symptoms often do not undergo the necessary diagnostic procedures, such as taking an electrocardiogram, a blood test for the levels of certain enzymes or angiography of coronary vessels.
Colon cancer is the second most common among both sexes. However, in women, this disease develops at a more advanced age. Moreover, in women, colon tumors tend to have a different localization and respond better to certain types of chemotherapy drugs. Gender also influences the susceptibility of patients to chemotherapy used for the treatment of malignant tumors of other organs, including the lungs and skin. Thus, gender partly determines the nature of the course of the disease and the patient's chances of survival.
Biliary primary cirrhosis of the liver is a disease affecting mainly women. The authors of the study received unequivocal evidence that the main risk factor for the development of this disease, as well as the chronization of hepatitis C, is a complex of genetic profile and hormone levels characteristic of the female sex. A similar pattern was found for osteoporosis. However, osteoporosis, which is considered a female disease, also affects men in some cases. The researchers concluded that in male patients, this disease is often not detected and causes an increased mortality rate among men suffering from bone fractures.
They also demonstrated the variability of the reactions of men and women to the pharmacological effect of aspirin and other medications. The different results of taking drugs can be explained by differences in the structure of the body, the duration of periods of absorption and excretion of drugs, as well as radically different hormonal statuses. Therefore, to ensure the effectiveness and safety of the use of medicines, their dosages and the duration of admission courses should be selected taking into account gender.
Based on the results obtained, the authors came to the conclusion that in order to eliminate the fundamental inequality that exists between women and men in relation to the selection of optimal methods of treatment of various diseases, it is necessary to conduct carefully planned clinical studies that would provide in-depth study of the issue.
Article by Giovannella Baggio et al. Gender medicine: a task for the third millennium is published in the journal Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of De Gruyter:
Men and Women Get Sick in Different Ways: Developing Gender-Specific Medicine is a Major Challenge of the Future.
28.03.2013