Gender Differences in Medicine
In recent years, the medical field has given considerable attention to the differences between the sexes; yet research on the differences between men and women on the cellular and molecular level has been lacking. A new study from the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine (IOM) now reveals that the biological differences between men and women reach beyond the boundaries of the reproductive system, creating the need for more sex-based biomedical research. The IOM confirmed that these sex differences influence physiological and pathological functions and exist in the prevalence and severity of a broad range of diseases, disorders, and conditions.
Gaining a better understanding of sex differences may benefit both men and women in terms of clinical practices. The majority of women fear breast cancer as their top health concern, yet the disease is not responsible for most female deaths: heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases kill more than 10 times as many women every year. Men are made aware of the dangers associated with these cardiovascular diseases while women are often left uninformed. Breast cancer receives much public attention, although in actuality lung cancer is the leading cancer killer of women.
The study of sex differences is evolving into a mature science. While the debate about societal differences between men and women continues, biomedical researchers are making greater efforts to understand the physical differences and use them to enrich medical procedures and treatments.
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