Are autoimmune diseases more common in men or in women?
1 Answer
Autoimmune disease are more common in females.
Explanation:
Till date no direct evidence has been deviced to prove this sexual variation in autoimmune diseases.
The only passive theory that is given is that, TESTOSTERONE HAS GOT A TENDENCY TO SUPPRESS IMMUNE SYSTEM WHEREAS ESTROGEN ALWAYS TENDS TO ENHANCE THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
As a result,men tend to suffer more from infectious diseases which affect women less,so reversely we can say that as estrogen enhances immune system,so antibody production is also enhanced which is a major drawback of the immune system,in these patients suffering from autoimmune diseases.
As,for example an autoimmune disease Hashimoto's thyroiditis is commoner in females by about 20 times than males.Similar results have been obtained in association with SLE,Ulcerative colitis,Crohn's disease,Rheumatoid Arthritis etc. which shows a female preponderance.
