It is true: men are sicker

His neck really hurt so much and it only got worse. I chuckled a bit, he chuckled back, because my friend knew he was just whining. And just after those five weeks of torn ankle ligaments, I could only grin a little at that small annoyance. Luckily, he could too.

But what turns out now? I should probably take him a bit more seriously. At least when he is laid low by the flu, with corresponding filled sinuses and the shivers on his back. Because it’s not at all a case of being overly dramatic on a large scale, but there are serious indications that the man is actually sicker than the woman. I beg your pardon? This sounds like a bit of justice in all our monthly troubles, which have lasted almost fifty years. Although it’s certainly far from pleasant that they are right, because we weren’t exactly waiting for that. But it really seems to be the case that ‘man flu‘ is just serious flu and not based on extra whining or a myth. Ouch.

Men have a weaker immune response to respiratory viruses, claims a male doctor in The British Medical Journal. In a laboratory, researchers sprinkled male cells infected by a virus with female estrogen. Those cells recovered much faster. Additionally, men with the flu end up in the hospital faster, are overwhelmed by complications, and it can also end badly for them. Previous research already indicated: men need three days to recover from a cold while we women only need one and a half.

Virologist and flu expert Ab Osterhaus says to the Volkskrant that the male effect is probably not that significant, otherwise science would have noticed it earlier. Ah, luckily. We can just continue to be skeptical when he needs you 24/7 with a cold. Even if it might be based on a little bit of truth. Sounds like a plan. Pop in a paracetamol and come on, don’t be dramatic.

Source: Volkskrant.nl