Men perceive pain differently and feel it more heavily, a British study suggests.
They are very often the object of mockery by those around them when they are sick … Men often tend to moan when a little pain appears, complaining constantly. And unfortunately for them, it is often difficult to be taken seriously.
But a new study reassures men plagued by flu-like symptoms and colds. According to researchers at Kurri Kurri Hospital (England) and Newcastle University, men can have weakened immune systems and, therefore, be more affected by cold symptoms than women. At issue: testosterone.
If estrogens strengthen the immune system in women, testosterone, for its part, impairs the body’s ability to fight viruses, emphasizes the work of researchers, published in the journal The Conversation.
Unable to interpret the severity of their symptoms
The researchers also indicate that the part of the brain responsible for triggering a fever, when the body has an inflammatory disease, is “larger” in men than in women. They may have a more painful reaction to a cold than female counterparts. Another constraining element, testosterone influences and improves the action of a set of genes that alter the body’s ability to fight viruses.
In 2015, previous health research suggested that men cope less well with pain than women. Observation also supported by research from the University of Glasgow, which concluded that men were unable to interpret the severity of symptoms when they were sick.
In 2010, a group from Cambridge University published a job on the evolution of the immune system in men and women. According to them, in the story, men had to provide for the needs and ensure their survival by searching for a long time for something to eat, even if it means accepting the weakening of the immune system, and therefore, being more susceptible to infections. An “alarm bell” to remind them of the need to find something to eat.
Conversely, in women, the authors of this study had observed the role of estrogen and the high concentration of cytokines in the modulation of immunity. These female hormones affected the virus by altering its ability to reproduce in the body. A difference that significantly influences the ability to feel pain.
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