Study: ‘Man flu’ really might be worse. Really.
A researcher who blended scientific review with humour is suggesting those who believe “man flu” is more intense than the female version have some evidence to back their views.
The piece was published by a Canadian physician in the December edition of the British Medical Journal.
Dr. Kyle Sue, a family physician based in Arviat, Nunavut, found studies on mice and humans going back to the 1990s suggesting flu symptoms in men are often more acute.
His study also noted that a seasonal influenza study from 2004 to 2010 in Hong Kong found men had higher rates of hospital admission, and a decade-long American observational study that ended in 2007 suggested men had higher rates of flu-related deaths in comparison to women.
The latter study held true regardless of underlying heart disease, cancer, chronic respiratory system disease, and renal disease. “Perhaps now is the time for male-friendly spaces, equipped with enormous televisions and reclining chairs, to be set up where men can recover from the debilitating effects of man flu in safety and comfort,” Sue wrote.
The British Medical Journal’s December issue is meant to be a special issue that has peerreviewed articles, but allows authors to use some humour, said Navjoyt Ladher, the editor who put the issue together.
“The spirit of the issue is quite lighthearted and often tackles quirky subjects ... But it’s real work,” she said.
In his study, Sue also notes that the term man flu has become so common that it is included in the Oxford and Cambridge dictionaries, with Oxford defining it as “a cold or similar minor ailment as experienced by a man who is regarded as exaggerating the severity of the symptoms.”
Sue writes: “Since about half the world’s population is male, deeming male viral respiratory symptoms as exaggerated without rigorous scientific evidence could have important implications for men, including insufficient provision of care.”
Sue’s study also considered the hypothesis that testosterone may have a relationship to influenza by acting to suppress the male immune system.
He notes there are numerous potential weaknesses in the “immunity gap” theory, including that it doesn’t always consider other influences on the flu, such as the rates of smoking.
“The evidence is not definitive. It’s only suggestive,” he said in an interview, in reference to the Hong Kong and American epidemiological studies.
He says another factor not considered was the influence of men taking longer to seek medical care than women. The physician also cites theories that evolution plays a role in men taking more rest for flu, and includes one hypothesis arguing that “the increase in male sickness may be a strategy important for survival since ‘it promotes energy conservation and reduces the risk of encountering predators.’ ”