Infections do not appear equal between the sexes, according to researchers. | Courtesy of Shutterstock
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Amanda Rupp | Jun 29, 2016

Lupus Foundation investigates why infections don't affect both sexes equally

According to a recent story in Scientific American, differences in the immune responses of men and women result in the predominance of certain illnesses among one sex when compared to the other.

One of the most dramatic cases is with lupus, as approximately 90 percent of lupus patients are women. This statistic continues despite the fact that the disease acts the same with both sexes and requires the same treatment.

To combat the development of the disease, the Lupus Foundation of America has financed research to discover what causes the differences in lupus developing in one sex more than the other. Scientists hope that discovering this key will help to create new therapeutic approaches that will prevent as well as treat the disease.

Unfortunately, there is a tendency for scientists and researchers to overlook the fact that there are significant differences in sexes when it comes to illnesses. This tendency must be stopped in order to develop new therapies that are based on these differences between the sexes. Without such knowledge, science may never grow closer to finding out how lupus can be cured.

Currently, scientists are studying genetics and environment, which modify regulatory immune cells, to learn more about lupus.

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