Multiple sclerosis , lupus , rheumatoid arthritis ... Women are eight times more exposed to autoimmune diseases than men. These pathologies are linked to a dysfunction of the immune system, which forces it to attack the body's own constituents. In 2018, a study published in The Lancet showed that cancer treatments by immunotherapy would be more effective in men than in women. How to explain these differences?
A "compensation phenomenon" observed during pregnancy
An article published in Trends in Genetics by an interdisciplinary team at Arizona State University (ASU) advances the theory that increased exposure to women's autoimmune diseases is due to compensation "observed during pregnancy.
" Basically, the immune system of women has evolved to protect pregnant women from the presence of an immunologically invasive placenta and pregnancy, as well as to protect them from the aggression of parasites and pathogens. in modern, industrialized societies, fewer pregnancies are available, and not all women benefit from the placenta that pushes back the immune system, "says Melissa Wilson, assistant professor at the ASU School of Life Sciences and co-investigator. principal of the study.
Urban lifestyle and sedentary lifestyle also involved
According to scientists who signed this article, other criteria would be responsible for the increase in autoimmune diseases, such as living in urban areas and lack of physical activity. " We have moved from an active lifestyle to a sedentary lifestyle.We now have an overabundance of available calories, which potentially allows us to maintain excessive levels of hormones, including estrogen estradiol." Such high levels of hormones can increase the risk of triggering autoimmune diseases, "says researcher Angela Garcia, who also participated in the research.
The researchers stress the need to work on cohorts of parity patients (both men and women) in future research and to deepen the characterization of genes taking into account the environmental context and the personal history of patients and patients. patients.
" Our goal is to improve treatment for all, and we realize that cancer is different in men and women, in most cancers and other diseases, and so far in the development of cancer treatments. cancer, this has not really been taken into account, "says Heini Natri, postdoctoral researcher and co-author of the study
