Man flu? Researcher suggests it’s real, and we need more man caves to treat it

A peer-reviewed research paper took a tongue-in-cheek approach to answering the question: Is man flu a real thing?

The BMJ, one of the world’s oldest general medical journals, published the paper on Monday. Kyle Sue, a clinical assistant professor in family medicine, cites several past research studies as evidence to support his conclusion that, yes, man flu appears to be a real thing and may be due to immunal differences in men and women.

“The concept of man flu, as commonly defined, is potentially unjust. Men may not be exaggerating symptoms but have weaker immune responses to viral respiratory viruses, leading to greater morbidity and mortality than seen in women,” Sue writes.

The term “man flu” is often used in the pejorative, Sue continues, to describe an ill man who is exaggerating his symptoms.

But Sue’s research suggests such an insult may be unfair, as men for a variety of reasons may be “immunologically inferior” to women.

“I am hopeful that next time men are being criticized as exaggerating their symptoms they can say ‘hey, look at this study, there is some proof that I am not!’” he told the Guardian.

Some have disagreed with Sue’s conclusion, though, saying other factors may be at play, the Guardian reported.

Sue came to his conclusion based on a number of past studies — both scientific and informal:

Female mice have higher immune responses than males.

Women who have not yet gone through menopause had a stronger immune response to rhinovirus than those from men of the same age.

Men are more susceptible to complications and exhibit a higher mortality in “many acute respiratory diseases.”

In a study from 1997 to 2007, men had higher rates of flu-related deaths than women.

And studies of vaccinations have showed women are more responsive than men.

In an unscientific survey of more than 2,000 readers of a magazine, men reported taking an average of three days to recover from viral respiratory illness, while women reported needing just 1.5 days.

Even treatment methods may vary for men versus women. In an analysis from a common cold unit, a researcher postulated that “clinical observers are more ready to attribute symptoms and illness to women than to men, and … they under-rate men’s symptoms.”

The evolutionary purpose of higher symptoms in men remains unclear, Sue wrote.

Sue delved into the issue after being asked to give a two-minute presentation to people from various careers, according to CNN. He wanted to “provide evidence for men around the world to defend themselves” against accusations of suffering from “man flu.”

In what some may deem a jocular manner, Sue concludes that man caves may boost male recovery to illness.

“There are benefits to energy conservation when ill. Lying on the couch, not getting out of bed, or receiving assistance with activities of daily living could also be evolutionarily behaviours that protect against predators,” Sue wrote. “Perhaps now is the time for male friendly spaces, equipped with enormous televisions and reclining chairs, to be set up where men can recover from the debilitating effects of man flu in safety and comfort.”

This story was originally published December 12, 2017 at 8:32 AM with the headline "Man flu? Researcher suggests it’s real, and we need more man caves to treat it."