Man f lu really does exist… just ask a caveman!
WOMEN who are unsympathetic when their man takes to his sick bed with what seems like a slight sniffle should perhaps think again.
For there is such a thing as man flu, a medical expert insists.
Dr Kyle Sue, a clinical assistant professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, says men have weaker immune responses to respiratory viruses.
This may be because cavemen developed the flaw to stop them hunting while ill, he claims.
Studies show testosterone may make men less able to fight off the flu.
And it is women who are the more likely to stay at home with just one symptom of minor illness, he says in the British Medical Journal.
The Oxford Dictionary defines man flu as ‘a cold or similar minor ailment as experienced by a man who is regarded as exaggerating the severity of the symptoms’.
No scientific review has previously been carried out to investigate whether it exists.
Dr Sue writes: ‘Men may not be exaggerating symptoms but have weaker immune responses to viral respiratory viruses, leading to greater morbidity and mortality than seen in women.
‘Since about half of 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.’
Dr Sue found some evidence that men have a higher risk of flu-related hospital admissions than women. He said men might be hit harder by flu as a strategy for survival from caveman days – it kept them safe from predators and conserved their energy.
Lying on the couch, not getting out of bed, or receiving assistance with activities of daily living could also be evolutionary behaviours that protect against predators,’ he remarked wryly.
‘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.’
However, Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said: ‘We’re sorry to be the bearer of disappointing news for half the population – but contrary to popular belief, and this article, the vast majority of robust scientific evidence suggests that flu is not sexist and there is no such thing as man flu.
‘While there are people who believe that man flu is an actual disease, and some men (and women) genuinely believe it is the reason they are unwell, there is little science to back this up.’
She added, however: ‘There has been some research to suggest respiratory tract infections can present more severely in men than women.
‘The best advice for anyone affected is to rest at home, drink plenty of fluids and to take overthe-counter painkillers, such as paracetamol, if necessary.’