• Question: If I was an old lady would an illness affect me differently to an old man. Many thanks if you answer.

    Asked by Science rules to Carolyn, Peter, Richard, Sara, Siana on 18 Nov 2015.
    • Photo: Sara Falcone

      Sara Falcone answered on 18 Nov 2015:


      I guess it depends one what illness we are talking about.
      For example, I am studying a kidney disease, that is more common and more severe in males even if we don’t know why.
      Problems related with bone weakness or breast cancer are more common in women (although men can get them as well).

    • Photo: Richard Unwin

      Richard Unwin answered on 18 Nov 2015:


      Hi ,

      That’s a great question and something scientists are focusing a lot more on recently. Apart from gender-specific diseases like those mentioned by Sara, there a growing amount of evidence that even diseases which seem to occur in both genders the same e.g. dementias seem to have specific features which are only found in men, or only found in women, with that disease. These differences may be hormonal, but it’s certainly true and it has been suggested that the best cure for a man with a certain illness may not be the best cure for a woman with the same disease.

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