Why do women suffer autoimmune diseases more often?

[MSUK]

Researchers at National Jewish Health have discovered a type of cell that may contribute to autoimmune disease. The findings also suggest why diseases such as lupus, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis strike women more frequently than men.

The cells, a subset of immune-system B cells, make autoantibodies, which bind to and attack the body’s own tissue. The researchers report the journal Blood, that they found higher levels of these cells in elderly female mice, young and old mice prone to autoimmune disease, and humans with autoimmune diseases. National Jewish Health has applied for a patent for a method to treat autoimmune disease by depleting these cells.... Read More - http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm/fuseact ... ageid/1100

[Lyon]

..

[fee001]

Hi!

Women have a far more wider range of stresses to deal with and ongoing ones to, causing a stress overload. that cause physical symptoms to appear i.e lesions.

I also think that the genetic link, is stress related, my Dad was a worrier and so am I.

I thought a while back they discounted the auto-immune theory.

Fiona

[NHE]

Thanks for keeping us updated with the latest news. Perhaps men with MS just got the bum, i.e., poorly regulated, X chromosome.

NHE

[gibbledygook]

or perhaps:

Acta Physiol (Oxf). 2011 May 3. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.2011.02323.x. [Epub ahead of print]

Local oestrogenic/androgenic balance in the cerebral vasculature.

Krause DN, Duckles SP, Gonzales RJ.


Source

 Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA  Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, AZ, USA.


Abstract

Reproductive effects of sex steroids are well-known; however it is increasingly apparent that these hormones have important actions on non-reproductive tissues such as the vasculature. The latter effects can be relevant throughout the lifespan, not just limited to reproductive years, and are not necessarily restricted to one gender or the other. Our work has established that cerebral blood vessels are a non-reproductive target tissue for sex steroids. We have found that oestrogen and androgens alter vascular tone, endothelial function, oxidative stress and inflammatory responses in cerebral vessels. Often the actions of oestrogen and androgens oppose each other. Moreover, it is clear that cerebral vessels are directly targeted by sex steroids, as they express specific receptors for these hormones. Interestingly, cerebral blood vessels also express enzymes that metabolize sex steroids. These findings suggest that local synthesis of 17ß-estradiol and dihydrotestosterone can occur within the vessel wall. One of the enzymes present, aromatase, converts testosterone to 17ß-estradiol, which would alter the local balance of androgenic and oestrogenic influences. Thus cerebral vessels are affected by circulating sex hormones as well as locally synthesized sex steroids. The presence of vascular endocrine effector mechanisms has important implications for male-female differences in cerebrovascular function and disease. Moreover, the cerebral circulation is a target for gonadal hormones as well as anabolic steroids and therapeutic drugs used to manipulate sex steroid actions. The long-term consequences of these influences are yet to be determined.

© 2011 The Authors. Acta Physiologica © 2011 Scandinavian Physiological Society.


PMID: 21535417 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21535417