23 Dec Viruses may Target Males and Females Differently?
Whether it’s through biomimetic dentistry procedures, to the latest and greatest laser dentistry or air abrasion techniques, Prescott Dentistry strives to stay up to date with all of the latest information and technology relating to dental and overall holistic health. A new study published in Nature Communications and highlighted on dentistry.co.uk, may have some wide ranging implications relating to viral infections.
According to the study, viruses can evolve to affect women and men differently, becoming more virulent in men. More specifically, if it is a virus that is transmitted to a child by it’s mother, the virus has an evolutionary advantage to affect women less severely because women are worth more to the virus.
It was previously understood that the mortality rate caused by infections diseases is often higher in men than women, but historically this has been attributed to differing immune systems. However, in this study conducted by the School of Biological Sciences at Royal Holloway, the HTLV-1 virus that is known to cause leukemia led to less cases of leukemia in women when there is more mother-to-child transmission.
“Viruses may be evolving to be less dangerous to women, looking to preserve the female population. The reason why these illnesses are less virulent in women is that the virus wants to be passed from mother to child, either through breastfeeding, or just through giving birth,” said Dr. Francisco Úbeda.
Don’t let your health fall by the wayside, men! Your oral and holistic health is just as important as your female counterparts, especially with findings showing that men are more susceptible to viral infections. Contact Prescott Dentistry today to schedule your appointment!
Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (12/20/2016) Pete (Flickr)