Is your family in perpetual flu hell? Women may suffer from it more than men
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Is your family in perpetual flu hell? Women may suffer from it more men
A study has found that the reason may be physiological. If yous're juggling family and piece of work, here's how you can minimise catching the virus and recover more than quickly if y'all practice.
(Photo: Freepik, art: Clare Chan)
28 November 2022 02:22AM (Updated: xv Aug 2022 04:31PM)
Ladies, if you've had the nagging suspicion that your flu symptoms are more severe than men's, and that you have longer than them to recover, you may be right.
It's not just because you might be juggling a career with a bigger share of the family unit responsibilities (stress makes recovery slower) –it's also physiological.
A study from scientists at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Schoolhouse of Public Health suggests that men may recover more chop-chop from flu infections because they produce more of a key lung-healing protein.
The scientists, whose findings are published online in Biology Of Sexual practice Differences, infected live mice and human cells from men with influenza virus, and constitute that both the male mice and human cells produced more than amphiregulin, a growth gene protein of import in wound healing.
The male mice recovered more quickly, compared to female mice.
Why are men more than resistant to the effects of flu?
Associate Professor Sabra Klein, who headed the study, said it could exist an evolutionary reward equally males are more frequently wounded in battles for territories, mates and resources.
The male person sex hormone testosterone may as well confer some course of protection against influenza – a theory that Assoc Prof Klein'south squad is currently studying.
Dr Leong Hoe Nam, an infectious diseases specialist at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, has a different take on why gender might play a role when information technology comes to flu symptoms.
"Women have more than robust immune systems and reply more than exuberantly with each infection, whereas men have more placid allowed systems. Just this is a double-edged sword," he said.
"While the response blocks the virus, information technology also injures the person'due south tissues and causes greater symptoms (for instance, inflammation) that makes the person experience sicker."
READ: Are ii flu shots improve than i when travelling with family during influenza season?
IS YOUR FAMILY IN PERPETUAL FLU HELL?
You lot are suddenly hit past chills, body aches and a fever – not a good time to fall ill when the kids have barely recovered from their sniffles.
And just a few weeks ago, your husband was stuffing tissue upward his olfactory organ. Information technology feels like your family is defenseless in a perpetual flu wheel.
The common cold can also arm-twist similar symptoms. The differences betwixt the two are slight, with flu signs typically developing abruptly.
Also, flu symptoms such as fever, chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headaches and fatigue, are more astringent than a cold'south.
"Influenza represents near 50 per cent of those who visit the clinics with an upper respiratory tract infection, while the other 50 per cent are for the common cold virus," said Dr Leong.
"The key difference is that a vaccine exists for flu prevention, whereas there is no common cold vaccine."
For women who have work and family duties to take care of, what can they do to minimise catching the problems?
And if they exercise, how can they recover faster and improve? Here's what the experts say.
GET THE FLU JAB FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
The flu vaccine is your all-time bet as it is "upward to 90 per cent constructive and remains the all-time way to boost flu prevention efforts and to keep yourself good for you," said Dr Leong.
The jab is especially of import for children between the ages of six months and five years, who can suffer an boilerplate of six to 12 bouts of cold/flu each year.
"This is because in the early stages of childhood, the immune system is weak as information technology has non been exposed to different viruses to allow the evolution of the adaptive allowed response," he said.
Seniors are also at risk. In healthy individuals of any historic period, the impacts of influenza are unpredictable – simply complication in those anile 65 and above tin be "further amplified".
Age also brings with information technology a "greater susceptibility to infection and reduced capacity to fight confronting viruses," said Dr Leong.
In fact, for the elderly, 2 doses of the influenza vaccine each year are recommended, 6 months apart.
Dr Leong cited a recent study by Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where it was institute that doing so increased the elderly'south antibody levels to fight confronting influenza by more than than 20 per cent, compared to those who only received a single dose.
Wearable MASKS, WASH YOUR HANDS, AND DISPOSE OF USED TISSUE
There'south a reason why doctors advise to wear a mask: Flu can spread through the droplets produced when coughing, sneezing, talking or touching contaminated surfaces within 2m of the infected person.
In fact, those with influenza can contaminate the air effectually them simply only by breathing, according to a study by the Academy of Maryland in Baltimore, US.
READ: Too much caffeine may stress the eye, cause anxiety and atomic number 82 to weight gain
Furthermore, masks block off large virus particles exhaled by sick individuals by 25 times, according to a report published in PlosOne.
The same written report also found that wearing a mask and practising expert hygiene tin can lower your risk of getting infected by up to 75 per cent.
"It is important to realise that this should be complemented with hand washing, every bit this is all the same the best style to reduce germs on our hands," said Dr Leong.
As for those pieces of used tissue, make sure y'all dispose of them in a bin, preferably one that has a lid, instead of leaving them in your pocket, on the bed or the nightstand.
And brand certain you lot keep the bin abroad from the rest of your family, said Dr Leong.
DON'T PREP FOOD AND USE Dissever ITEMS
Not that you'll be in the mood to cook when you're downwards with the bug, simply you should also refrain from treatment the nutrient in takeaway containers that your family members bring dwelling.
To take it a step further, use separate dishes and cutlery from the residue of your family unit.
If possible, supersede yours and your child'south toothbrushes afterward a bout of flu to help reduce the manual of viruses, said Dr Leong.
GO AHEAD AND BREASTFEED
"Some mothers may exist worried about breastfeeding during a bout of flu for fear of passing on the virus.
However, experts revealed that babies practise not catch viruses through breast milk.
In fact, a mother tin pass antibodies to her baby through breastfeeding, which aid to build up a child's immune organisation in the long run," said Dr Leong.
Employ A HAND SANITISER INSTEAD OF SPRAYING DISINFECTANT AT WORK
The sound of spritzing disinfectant can often exist heard in the office, especially when there's a bug going around.
But its effectiveness doesn't quite match that of other measures such as wiping downwards often touched surfaces, including tables, keyboards and doorknobs, said Dr Leong.
Instead, you lot're ameliorate off using paw sanitisers frequently.
"Studies have too revealed that manus sanitisers with high alcohol concentrations (threescore per cent to 95 per cent) are more effective at killing germs than those with a low or cypher concentration" said Dr Leong.
DON'T COUNT ON VITAMIN C UNLESS Y'all ALREADY HAVE THE FLU
Vitamin C is often touted every bit a natural cold/influenza remedy. But the enquiry data to appointment has only shown that "Vitamin C is only marginally benign when it comes to the common cold," said Dr Bruce Bistrian, chief of clinical nutrition at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, in an article in Harvard Wellness Publishing.
And as for their claim to ward off the flu? That doesn't hold water either, co-ordinate to the same article.
Simply it may help if you've already defenseless a flu.
"It may help to boost our immune organisation and reduce the severity of the symptoms, but it does non forestall us from getting the flu," said Dr Leong.
"Information technology has been debunked as an anti-flu medicine and studies have shown information technology is ineffective, unless y'all are malnourished."
The aforementioned tin can be said of zinc, which has oft been claimed to ward off the flu and treat its symptoms.
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