Men are more prone to lung cancer than women. In turn, women suffer more low back pain and anxiety. See what the full study says
3 May
2024
– 2:45 p.m.
(updated at 5:51 p.m.)
Which diseases affect men more and which ones affect women more? A report from the University of Washington (USA) made this information available through data obtained by the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) program. The complete material appears in the magazine Lancet Public Health.
Photo: Tim Mossholder/Unsplash / Canaltech
As the study reveals, men are more affected by cirrhosis (56.7%) and lung cancer (57% more). On the other hand, women are affected with low back pain (61%) and anxiety (65%).
According to the study, health differences between women and men continue to grow with age, leaving women with higher levels of disease and disability throughout their lives because they tend to live longer than men.
“A key point the study highlights is how women and men differ in many biological and social factors that fluctuate and sometimes accumulate over time, resulting in different experiences of health and illness at each stage of life. and between regions of the world”, says the study.
“We need national health plans and strategies to respond to men’s health needs across the lifespan, including interventions that target behavioral risks, such as alcohol consumption and smoking, which typically begin at a young age,” the authors argue.
Check below the diseases that have the greatest impact on men and those that have the greatest impact on women.
In parenthesis, we can observe the difference between one sex and the other (that is, how much more percent the disease affects that particular sex):
Diseases that affect men more
- Lung cancer (57%)
- Cirrhosis (56.7%)
- Ischemic heart disease (44.7%)
- Covi-19 (44.5%)
- Tuberculosis (42.7%)
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (36.1%)
- Respiratory tract infection (32%)
- Stroke (29.3%)
- Chronic kidney disease (22.7%)
- Diabetes (11.8%)
Diseases that affect women more
- Anxiety disorder (64.8%)
- Low back pain (60.9%)
- Headache (58.1%)
- Depressive disorder (52%)
- Musculoskeletal disorders (48.9%)
- Alzheimer’s (37.2%)
- HIV (14.1%)
The researchers also point out that these findings highlight the significant and unique health challenges faced by men, with conditions that lead to premature deaths, and the need for interventions that target behavioral risks, such as alcohol consumption and smoking.
Women are more affected by mental health conditions, according to study (Image: Joshua Rawson-Harris/Unsplash)
Photo: Canaltech
In the meantime, it is necessary to take into account the information that mental health conditions disproportionately affect women in all regions of the world.
“Major causes of health loss in women, particularly musculoskeletal disorders and mental health problems, have not received the attention they deserve,” say the authors.
The study on diseases that affect more men or women ends with an appeal: public health practices must address the root causes of health inequalities.
Source: IHME, Lancet Public Health
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