Abstract
Clear sex differences exist in asthma and atopy with a preponderance of boys before puberty. There is a reversal of this sex ratio during puberty with girls having more asthma and atopy throughout the reproductive years. Elucidating the reasons for the switch in the sex ratio should provide fresh insights into asthma and atopy with a real prospect of novel therapies for these troublesome diseases. The challenge is to match the epidemiology and physiology with the accumulating scientific knowledge on gender differences in immune responses. Hormonal changes have been implicated in the reversal of the sex ratio. Testosterone is an immunosuppressant and is likely to be protective, while female sex steroids are proinflammatory and will increase the susceptibility to atopy. Modified so as to be non-virilising/feminising, sex steroids could therefore play a useful part in modulating the immunological and inflammatory processes that underlie asthma and other allergic disorders, complementing the currently used glucocorticoid derived steroids.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 587-590 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Archives of Disease in Childhood |
| Volume | 88 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2003 |
Keywords
- SYSTEMIC LUPUS-ERYTHEMATOSUS
- PEAK FLOW VARIABILITY
- MENSTRUAL-CYCLE
- IMMUNE-SYSTEM
- RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS
- RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS
- GENDER DIFFERENCES
- RISK-FACTORS
- LUNG GROWTH
- T-CELLS
Cite this
Therapeutic implications of sex differences in asthma and atopy. / Osman, Mustafa.
In: Archives of Disease in Childhood, Vol. 88, No. 7, 2003, p. 587-590.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Therapeutic implications of sex differences in asthma and atopy
AU - Osman, Mustafa
PY - 2003
Y1 - 2003
N2 - Clear sex differences exist in asthma and atopy with a preponderance of boys before puberty. There is a reversal of this sex ratio during puberty with girls having more asthma and atopy throughout the reproductive years. Elucidating the reasons for the switch in the sex ratio should provide fresh insights into asthma and atopy with a real prospect of novel therapies for these troublesome diseases. The challenge is to match the epidemiology and physiology with the accumulating scientific knowledge on gender differences in immune responses. Hormonal changes have been implicated in the reversal of the sex ratio. Testosterone is an immunosuppressant and is likely to be protective, while female sex steroids are proinflammatory and will increase the susceptibility to atopy. Modified so as to be non-virilising/feminising, sex steroids could therefore play a useful part in modulating the immunological and inflammatory processes that underlie asthma and other allergic disorders, complementing the currently used glucocorticoid derived steroids.
AB - Clear sex differences exist in asthma and atopy with a preponderance of boys before puberty. There is a reversal of this sex ratio during puberty with girls having more asthma and atopy throughout the reproductive years. Elucidating the reasons for the switch in the sex ratio should provide fresh insights into asthma and atopy with a real prospect of novel therapies for these troublesome diseases. The challenge is to match the epidemiology and physiology with the accumulating scientific knowledge on gender differences in immune responses. Hormonal changes have been implicated in the reversal of the sex ratio. Testosterone is an immunosuppressant and is likely to be protective, while female sex steroids are proinflammatory and will increase the susceptibility to atopy. Modified so as to be non-virilising/feminising, sex steroids could therefore play a useful part in modulating the immunological and inflammatory processes that underlie asthma and other allergic disorders, complementing the currently used glucocorticoid derived steroids.
KW - SYSTEMIC LUPUS-ERYTHEMATOSUS
KW - PEAK FLOW VARIABILITY
KW - MENSTRUAL-CYCLE
KW - IMMUNE-SYSTEM
KW - RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS
KW - RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS
KW - GENDER DIFFERENCES
KW - RISK-FACTORS
KW - LUNG GROWTH
KW - T-CELLS
U2 - 10.1136/adc.88.7.587
DO - 10.1136/adc.88.7.587
M3 - Article
VL - 88
SP - 587
EP - 590
JO - Archives of Disease in Childhood
JF - Archives of Disease in Childhood
SN - 0003-9888
IS - 7
ER -