Question

The prevalence of a disease is two times greater in women than in men, but the incidence rates are the same in men and women. Which of the following statements may explain this situation? (select all that apply)

-The disease kills men faster

-Women are giving the disease to men

-Women have different symptoms than men

-Men recover more quickly than women

Answer 1

The prevalence of a disease is two times greater in women than in men, but the incidence rates are the same in men and women.

Turning to diseases and conditions, the differences between men and women are not as consistent. Men are more likely to have heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, whereas women are more likely to have arthritis and depression, and there is considerable variation between countries in the differences between the sexes. Men are significantly more likely to report having heart disease in most countries

We found that men were generally more likely to have the lethal conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Women were more likely to have debilitating, but seldom fatal, conditions, including arthritis and depression. This difference in the links between these diseases and the other dimensions of health is 1 reason that mortality differences and health differences do not necessarily coincide. Many chronic conditions are not strongly linked to mortality (e.g., arthritis and Alzheimer disease) but are strongly linked to disability and loss of functioning. Researchers have also argued that it is not just that men and women differ in the conditions they have, but they also differ in the outcomes associated with those conditions and that men may be more vulnerable to adverse effects on mortality of some of these lethal conditions and women may have stronger associations with disability

Generally in Health, sex (biological) and gender (behavioural and social) variables are acknowledged useful parameters for research and action because biological differences between the sexes determine male-specific and female-specific diseases and because behavioural differences between the genders assign a critical role to women in relation to family health.

The focus on women's excess disease burden is justified to fill gaps in knowledge regarding women's health that are in part a product of male bias and male norms in clinical studies. In the past, medical research often wrongly assumed that women were biologically weaker and extrapolated findings from trials with male subjects only to both sexes, whereas female biology can affect the onset and progression of disease.

In recent study, the global burden-of-disease data underestimate both women's and men's disease burdens because of the incompleteness of health statistics, especially in the developing world. This underestimation is probably more pronounced for women because they experience more disability—which is less well recorded than mortality—than men. This underestimation is aggravated by underreporting resulting from the stigma associated with certain diseases in women, such as sexual infections; the prevalence of asymptomatic illness, such as sexually transmitted infections among women; the differences in health-seeking behaviours that favour males accessing formal health care, which is the main source for health statistics; and the exclusion of some conditions that affect only women.

The disease kills men faster

Common generalizations are that men live shorter but healthier lives and that women live longer lives but in worse health. Male/Female Differences in Life Expectancy/Mortality. In most countries, mortality rates have been decreasing steadily for both men and women for more than a century. Male life expectancy is lower than female life expectancy in all countries. National-level surveys and data systems are used to identify male/female differences in mortality rates, prevalence of diseases, physical functioning, and indicators of physiological status. Male/female differences in health outcomes depend on epidemiological and social circumstances and behaviours, and many are not consistent across historical time and between countries.

In most countries, mortality rates have been decreasing steadily for both men and women for more than a century. The relationship between male and female mortality rates clearly depends on the epidemiological circumstances and behavioural differences. When mortality is more heavily weighted by infectious conditions, male/female mortality rates are generally more similar, and there have been historical times and geographic places where male life expectancy exceeded that of women.

There are many reasons why the ratio of men to women starts to favour women over time. Among the most powerful factors, Men tend to

Take bigger risks.

Have more dangerous jobs.

Die of heart disease more often and at a younger age

Be less socially connected.

Avoid doctors.

Women have different symptoms than men.

The main group of diseases with excess burdens for women associated with women's greater longevity are Alzheimer's disease; musculoskeletal disorders, such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoporosis; and cardiovascular diseases, which together account for 12 percent of total daily losses for women worldwide.

For men and women, chest pain or discomfort is the most common heart attack symptom, but women are more likely to report shortness of breath, back or jaw pain, and nausea and vomiting.

The four most common associated signs and symptoms reported by both men and women were general weakness, sweating, nausea and fatigue. However, women experienced more general weakness and sweating compared with men. Women were less likely to receive intravenous nitro-glycerine, heparin and thrombolytic therapy for the treatment of MI. Chest pain was the initial symptom of MI reported by men and women. Although similarities exist in the associated signs and symptoms, women might experience different associated signs and symptoms from men. Despite these similarities, women are still less likely than men to receive the therapeutic regimen used for men.

Men recover more quickly than women

Researchers have known that women, compared to men, tend to have more severe disease with slower recoveries even when their virus levels are the same. It had been thought that this was due solely to women's greater levels of lung inflammation during any infections.

The scientists identified amphiregulin as a key factor in this gender-based difference. The growth-factor protein is known to promote the proliferation of epithelial cells in the skin, lung and other surfaces in the body during wound healing, including recovery from infections. Analysis of the mice revealed that the males produced significantly more amphiregulin than females during the recovery phase of their infections.