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Review
. 2018 Dec 18:9:2997.
doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.02997. eCollection 2018.

Sex Bias in Asthma Prevalence and Pathogenesis

Ruchi Shah  1 , Dawn C Newcomb  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Sex Bias in Asthma Prevalence and Pathogenesis

Ruchi Shah et al. Front Immunol. .

Abstract

Sex-related differences in asthma prevalence are well established and change through the reproductive phases of life. As children, boys have increased prevalence of asthma compared to girls. However, as adults, women have increased prevalence of asthma compared to men. Many factors, including genetics, environment, immunological responses, and sex hormones, affect the sex disparity associated with the development and control of asthma and other allergic diseases. Fluctuations of hormones during puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause, alter asthma symptoms and severity. In this article, we review clinical and epidemiological studies that examined the sex disparity in asthma and other allergic diseases as well as the role of sex hormones on asthma pathogenesis.

Keywords: allergic disease; asthma; menopause; pregnancy; puberty; sex hormones.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Multiple factors are associated with asthma and may contribute to the sex disparity seen in asthma throughout the life span. These factors may independently or jointly be associated with asthma or regulate each other (e.g., genetics may impact immune response and/or obesity). Factors are color-coded based on importance in asthma at various phases of life: orange, in utero and childhood; green, throughout life; blue, adolescence and adulthood.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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