Do men really suffer from the flu more than women?

Why do men complain of flu symptoms more often than women? Often the target of criticism and ridicule for not feeling well as the temperature slowly approaches 37 degrees Celsius. Some answers have been taken by Carla Delgado in an article published in Bmj magazine, which discusses the “supposed phenomenon that men, unlike women, exaggerate the severity of symptoms.” The imagination is full of this “weakness” of men for respiratory and influenza viruses: “From advertising to sketches in sitcoms, this difference has now entered people’s lives,” notes the author of the article. There is little scientific evidence for this difference, but “any time we talk about variables that can contribute to the immune response, gender is one of those fundamental biological variables that we think about,” she emphasizes. The question the author asks is whether there is a “man” flu. For example, “high levels of estrogen may improve outcomes of coronavirus infections such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and SARS-CoV-2,” the author reports, citing studies that highlight the phenomenon. Other scientific evidence reports that “some viral infections, such as Dengue fever or hepatitis B, are less common in women because they have stronger immunity and, if infected, have a lower viral load than men.” However, “the differences between the immune system and inflammatory responses of men and women to infections are not sufficient to fully explain the immune gap,” the author emphasizes. In conclusion, “although women generally exhibit a stronger immune response, there is not enough conclusive scientific evidence to support the notion that there is a man’s flu” that knocks him out more than her. “More research and a deeper understanding of this phenomenon are needed,” Delgado concludes. “There is no scientific basis for the fact that men suffer from flu symptoms more than women, but there is a psychosocial aspect to keep in mind: men are generally less likely to suffer – not just from the flu – but from many other things such as injury or simple headache, men more often complain. There is also an aspect of pregnancy that is always a special time for pain and perhaps makes women stronger in the fight against illness. The male flu seems more severe, but in fact it is not: there is no more fever and other symptoms, but we tolerate it less.” This is what infectious disease specialist Matteo Bassetti told Adnkronos Salute about the existence of the so-called “man flu” in the Bmj spotlight. “From this observation, the incidence of influenza-like illness (ILI) is increasing slightly compared to the previous week with a rate of 7.8 cases per thousand care provided (7.2 in the previous week), but lower than observed in the previous week. same season last year (9.7 in week 2023-47). This is to clarify that the data should be read in its entirety.” This is emphasized in the message of the Ministry of Health. “Influenza-like illnesses are currently supported by the co-circulation of different respiratory viruses, as evidenced by virological surveillance, which in these weeks shows that the circulation of influenza viruses remains at a low level: only 1.6% of samples tested are positive for influenza viruses, while as everyone else tested positive for other respiratory viruses, including rhinovirus, parainfluenza viruses, SARS-CoV-2,” the note said.