Sex steroids and the immune system
Section snippets
Normal immune response
A number of aspects of immune responsiveness differ between males and females. This observation is true in many species, including humans, and applies to humoral and cellular responses. Women have higher plasma immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG levels than do men [3]. The most prominent difference in humoral immunity is seen in the plasma IgM levels, and this difference becomes most significant at puberty. Plasma IgG levels are also higher in women, although some studies failed to show a
Effects of sex steroids on immune function
The observed sexual dimorphism in immune response and autoimmune disorders led to in vitro and in vivo studies investigating the effects of sex steroids on these processes. In the last 30 years, thousands of studies were conducted on this subject, including: (1) descriptional studies in humans that investigated the changes in immune response and autoimmune disease activity during physiologic states associated with altered hormonal status such as pregnancy and puberty, (2) animal studies that
Summary
Immune responsiveness and susceptibility to infections and autoimmune disorders suggest sexual dimorphism. Women have higher immune reactivity, resulting in better protection against infections but a predisposition to autoimmune diseases. Evidence suggests that sex steroids mediate the sexual dimorphism in immune response.
Estrogens induce thymic atrophy and alter the proportion of thymic cells, promoting an increase in the CD4+:CD8+ ratio. In the periphery, they enhance helper and inducer
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