colds are so much worse for men
Technically, this is true, men are far more vulnerable to colds and flu. As well as COVID, the mortality rate for moids was higher than for women, regardless of age, socio-economic group, or pre-existing health.
Employers really need to consider this when hiring for long term positions, as men are less able to fulfil positions requiring ongoing commitment.
that sounds really fascinating, would you happen to know why that was?
Two main reasons: our xx chromosomes, and estrogen.
XX chromosomes essentially provide a backup X chromosome, so any immune related disorders that impact the X chromosome will fuck over males. Their entire chromosome system is a single point of failure. I think the X chromosome also has a bunch of handy immune related instructions in it, although that's beyond my knowledge base.
Estrogen also appears to have some impacts on the ability to regulate immune responses of the body.
This makes sense from an evolutionary perspective, as women need to be physically resilient not only in order to ensure survival of their genes to conception
but also in raising them from vulnerability to adulthood. Women with genetically poorer immune systems are less likely to be able to pass on their genetics to the next lot. Men just need to outrun enough bears prior to ejaculation, so who fucking cares about long term immune responses.
Women do suffer from higher rates of autoimmune disorders; sometimes our immune system is a bit
too good.
Interestingly, vaccines are developed primarily for the male system, so vaccine injuries are more likely to affect young girls. Lower doses of a vaccine are more likely to be useful for females, as our bodies are more effective at mounting an antibody response, whereas too much can cause autoimmune disorders from what is, in layman's terms, an overkill.