Men are sick more often than women: five statements about being sick in a fact check

The cliché “men’s flu” persists: men would get it more often and more severely. The fact that something is going on is partly due to the hormones: while the female hormone estrogen stimulates the proliferation of specific immune cells, the male hormone testosterone has the exact opposite effect. The female immune system therefore reacts faster and more aggressively to intruders than that of men, according to a study by Austrian researchers.

However, the same study also denied that men suffer from more severe symptoms. It has not been investigated whether they still whine more.

Have you ever looked forward to the holidays only to spend them sick in bed? So it is for many. The Dutch psychologist Ad Fingerhoets has scientifically researched this. In a study he found out that the “leisure sickness”, as he calls the phenomenon, is a relatively common disease. The most commonly cited symptoms among the more than 2,000 study participants were headache, fatigue, muscle aches and nausea, as well as colds and flu.

Fingerhoets and his team concluded that the transition from work to leisure most sickens people who report high workload, high performance needs and a high sense of responsibility with regard to work.

The researchers were unable to clearly uncover the underlying mechanisms. One hypothesis is that the people contracted a pathogen during work. In acute stress (not chronic!), however, part of the immune system is strengthened, which increases the body’s resistance. When the stress goes away, the disease breaks out.

Here’s the thing: adults catch an average of two to four colds a year, children more, between seven and eight infections a year. The symptoms in children usually last longer, coughing up to six weeks. However, this does not necessarily indicate a poor immune system. The warning signs only include when the child has about eight or more ear infections in a year, two or more pneumonia, or sinus infections. This may indicate an immune deficiency.

The fact that children get sick more often is because they have an immature immune system that has yet to get to know all the pathogens. Also, young children’s upper respiratory tracts are not fully developed by school age, which puts them at greater risk of viral and bacterial infections. Younger children also tend to put their hands in their mouths and end up swallowing germs they touch on surfaces.

That is only partly true. Because it’s not the cold that makes you sick, but the pathogen. Rhinoviruses are the most common cause of the common cold and they circulate all year round, regardless of the temperature. However, cold weather increases the risk of infection. For starters, viruses survive and multiply better in colder temperatures. On the other hand, the cold weakens the immune system and makes it more difficult to fight off pathogens.

Several studies even suggest that regular sauna sessions strengthen the immune system. In a long-term study of nearly 2,000 men, Finnish researchers reported that those who went to the sweat cabin several times a week were less likely to suffer from respiratory disease. The same research team also noted that frequent sauna sessions lowered the risk of pneumonia.

However: Viruses etc. cannot be sweated out. And if a cold has already broken out, going to the sauna is counterproductive. Since the body is weakened by disease, therefore the energy should be needed for regeneration. The same applies to sports, which also weakens the immune system in case of illness. The best way to heal yourself is in bed. (aargauerzeitung.ch)