Asthma risk and severity shift by sex across the lifespan
In short: A review of asthma research found that biological sex and gender are linked to how the disease appears at different ages. Boys are more likely to have asthma in childhood, but by adulthood women show higher rates and more severe disease than men.
Researchers point to sex hormones, genetic and epigenetic differences, and environmental exposures as likely contributors to this pattern. They note that shifting hormone levels across women's reproductive life stages are associated with how asthma develops and progresses, alongside differences in gene activity and reactions to environmental triggers.
This is a review of existing studies rather than new experimental data, so it describes associations and patterns across past research rather than proving what drives the sex differences. The authors present it as a synthesis to guide further research into sex- and gender-based asthma care.
Why it matters: Sex and gender differences in asthma may reflect biology, genetics and environment, not just chance variation in symptoms.
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Sources
- Source: Research: Chowdhury et al. (2021). Sex and gender in asthma. European Respiratory Review. · cc-by-nc
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