Cited by 171Asthma and respiratory diseasesSex and Gender in HealthcareAllergic Rhinitis and Sensitization

Therapeutic implications of sex differences in asthma and atopy

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Osman, M·2003·Archives of Disease in Childhood

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.

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  • Gender and sex steroids govern the development and prevalence of many human diseases.

    “In addition, gender and sex steroids govern the development and prevalence of many human diseases [4–6].”

    From Gender-Related Effects of Sex Steroids on Histamine Release and Fc<i>ε</i>RI Expression in Rat Peritoneal Mast Cells (2015) · cites this paper as [4]

    The opening section (page unavailable) describes sex differences across a range of health problems, and “SEX AND DISEASE” discusses both biological and sociocultural influences. “SEX HORMONES AND ATOPY” links sex hormones to asthma and atopy prevalence, while “SEX HORMONES AND AUTOIMMUNITY” discusses their influence on autoimmune disease. The paper does not establish that gender and sex steroids govern the development and prevalence of the full range of human diseases implied by the claim. (LLM, conf=0.83)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • A relationship between female hormones, mast cell-derived mediators, and development of asthma and other allergic and inflammatory diseases has been suggested.

    “In this regard, a relationship between female hormones, MC-derived mediators and development of asthma and other allergic and inflammatory diseases has been suggested [4, 16, 19].”

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. Whitacre CC, Reingold SC, O'Looney PA. A gender gap in autoimmunity. Science 1999;283:1277-8.
  2. Ansar SA, Penhale WJWJ, Talal N. Sex hormones, immune responses, and autoimmune diseases. Am J Pathol 1985;121:531-51.

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Authors
Osman, M.
Affiliations
University of Aberdeen (GB)
Corresponding author
Osman, M
Venue
Archives of Disease in Childhood
Publisher
BMJ
Published
2003-07-01
Volume
88
Issue
7
Pages
587-590
ISSN
  • 0003-9888 (ISSN-L)
  • 1468-2044
OpenAlex
W2139317824
Cited by
171
References
54
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 7
FWCI
0.69
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Archives of Disease in Childhood (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Asthma and respiratory diseases
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Sex and Gender in Healthcare
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Immunology and Allergy › Allergic Rhinitis and Sensitization
Keywords
sex differences, asthma, atopy, puberty, sex ratio, testosterone, sex steroids, immune response, inflammation, allergic diseases, glucocorticoids, asthma treatment
MeSH terms
Asthma, Female, Humans, Hypersensitivity, Immediate, Male, Sex Factors, Gonadal Steroid Hormones, Sex Ratio, Autoimmunity, Anti-Allergic Agents

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