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Asked by ExplosiveBiskit to David, Sarah, Zoe on 20 Nov 2014.
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David Foley answered on 20 Nov 2014:
Yes and the reverse is also true. The two main causes for this are:
1. Hormonal – men and women produce different amounts of different hormones. An example is breast cancer (which affects women more often) and prostate cancer (which affects men). These cancers are often “fed” by signals triggered by the mainly female hormone estrogen and the mainly male hormone testosterone.
2. Genetic – Men have one X and one Y chromosome, whereas women have two X-chromosomes. Genes on these chromosomes are therefore “sex linked” and adverse mutations will effect both sexes differently. An example is hemophilia which is usually asymptomatically “carried” by women but causes illness in mainly men.
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Sarah Ashwood answered on 21 Nov 2014:
Indeed. As women and men are slightly different genetically – all to do with XX and XY chromasomes as David said – certain diseases affect one specific genetic make up more than the other.
Additionally with different reproductive systems and hormone levels there are diseases specific to this (Breast cancer, ovarian cancer, testicular cancer) that will obviously not occur in the opposite gender – However men CAN get breast cancer it’s just incredibly rare. All those man boobs 😛
Interestingly there are other diseases that appear to be more prevelant in women although there isn’t necessarily an understanding of why – it is assumed to be genetic reasons but we don’t have a definite reason. Autoimmune diseases (Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus) and irritable bowel syndrome in particular often affect women more than men.
But then equally Men are more likely to suffer from strokes or cardiovascular diseases. This is thought to be due more to lifestyle choice – apparently men generally eat more and won’t listen to doctors advice as often!
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