We women may be wrong on ‘man flu’
During the past few weeks several men in my family have succumbed to ‘man flu’, accompanied by catcalls from us women of wimpishness and jibes that they should try giving birth.
Well, we may have to eat our words. According to an item in the British Medical Journal, man flu is real and there’s some science behind it.
The dictionary definition (yes, it’s even got into the Oxford Dictionary) states man flu is “a cold or similar minor ailment as experienced by a man who is regarded as exaggerating the severity of the symptoms”.
But years ago, animal studies showed females have a greater immune response to flu, leading us to think sex hormones must affect recovery from such bugs.
Later studies showed women have a stronger immune response to the rhinovirus than men of the same age.
Even the World Health Organisation stresses that “sex should be considered when evaluating influenza exposure and outcomes”. In a Hong Kong study, men had a higher risk of hospital admission, and in a US study men had higher rates of influenza-associated deaths than women. Women are also more responsive to the flu jab.
One study noted that men with higher testosterone levels had a poor response to vaccination, suggesting testosterone may work against it.
The sex differences don’t stop at influenza. With many acute respiratory diseases, males are more susceptible to complications and suffer a higher death rate. Women are also more likely to rest, contradicting the common myth that men cut down activities more than women by exaggerating the severity of their symptoms.
And in a survey (though unscientific) completed by 2,131 readers of a popular magazine, men reported taking an average of three days to recover from viral respiratory illness compared with 1.5 days for women.
Researchers suggest the increase in male sickness may be an important survival strategy since “it promotes energy conservation and reduces the risk of encountering predators”.
We’ve all observed the classic strategies used by men to conserve energy including lying on the couch, not getting out of bed, asking for help with every little thing, which clearly would avoid the risk of encountering a sabre-toothed tiger.
So is the concept of man flu, as commonly defined, unjust?
Dr Kyle Sue, who examined the impact of flu at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada, suggests: “Perhaps now’s the time for malef-riendly 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.”
The little dears.