The puzzle of why asthma is about twice as common in women as men may have been solved, according to researchers who say it might partly be down to testosterone. Newcomb and colleagues began by looking at the levels of ILC2 cells in the blood of a group of four healthy men and four healthy women, as well as six women and seven men with asthma. The findings, published in the journal Cell Reports , revealed individuals with asthma had higher levels of ILC2 cells than those without. Moreover, while there was little difference in levels of the cells for healthy participants, women with asthma had about twice the levels of ILC2 cells compared with men with the condition. They then carried out a series of experiments manipulating hormone levels in mice and probing the impact on ILC2 cells.

Source: Hindustan Times November 29, 2017 07:41 UTC