It’s time to stop snivelling about men who claim to have "man flu" – researchers in Canada believe that the phenomenon could be real.
Dr Kyle Sue, a clinical assistant professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, has investigated if men really experience worse symptoms than women and if it could have any evolutionary basis.
He’s found that there may be some basis for the phenomenon.
Writing in the Christmas issue of The BMJ – well-known for its light-hearted articles, Dr Sue found evidence that adult men have a higher risk of hospital admission and have higher rates of influenza-associated deaths compared with women in the same age groups, regardless of underlying disease.
Men are also more susceptible to complications and exhibit a higher mortality, while there is some evidence to support that men suffer more from viral respiratory illness than women because they have a less robust immune system.
Dr Sue concludes that the concept of man flu, as commonly defined, is potentially unjust.
“Men may not be exaggerating symptoms but have weaker immune responses to viral respiratory viruses, leading to greater morbidity and mortality than seen in women,” he writes.
But British GPs said it was wrong to suggest flu is “sexist.”
Royal College of GPs chair Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard said: “We’re sorry to be the bearer of disappointing news for half the population – but contrary to popular belief, and this article, the vast majority of robust scientific evidence suggests that flu is not sexist and there is no such thing as man flu.
She added: “However there has been some research to suggest Respiratory Tract Infections – as they are known – can present more severely in men than women and the best advice for anyone affected is to rest at home, drink plenty of fluids and to take over-the-counter painkillers, such as paracetamol, if necessary.”
* The Christmas edition of The BMJ has also published research that suggests the children’s cartoon Peppa Pig could be encouraging the inappropriate use of primary care services and contributing to unrealistic expectations of care.
Dr Catherine Bell, a Sheffield-based GP and mother of a toddler, has analysed the impact of the programme’s Dr Brown Bear, who, she says, provide his patients with prompt and direct telephone access, continuity of care, extended hours, and has a low threshold for home visits.
Looking at three cases, she found he unnecessarily prescribed medication for a viral illness, made a clinically inappropriate urgent home visit, and has a disregard for confidentiality, parental consent and record keeping.
In September the voice of Peppa Pig, Cecily Bloom, enrolled as a medical student in Cardiff.
Professor Stokes-Lampard said: “Ultimately, we wouldn’t want a fun but irreverent article targeted at doctors to diminish a much-loved children’s television series – and to be honest, shouldn’t Peppa and her friends be going to see a vet, not a GP, anyway?!”
But, she said, the report highlighted the work that GPs do – and that they are “not invincible.”
Sue K. The science behind man flu. BMJ 12 December 2017; doi: 10.1136/bmj.j5560 [abstract]
Bell C. Does Peppa Pig encourage inappropriate use of primary care resources? BMJ 12 December 2017; doi: 10.1136/bmj.j5397 [abstract]
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