Why are women predisposed to autoimmune rheumatic diseases?
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Oliver JE
PROVIDER: S-EPMC2787267 | biostudies-literature | 2009
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Why are women predisposed to autoimmune rheumatic diseases?
Oliver Jacqueline E JE Silman Alan J AJ
Arthritis research & therapy 20091026 5
The majority of autoimmune diseases predominate in females. In searching for an explanation for this female excess, most attention has focused on hormonal changes--both exogenous changes (for example, oral contraceptive pill) and fluctuations in endogenous hormone levels particularly related to menstruation and pregnancy history. Other reasons include genetic differences, both direct (influence of genes on sex chromosomes) and indirect (such as microchimerism), as well as gender differences in l ...[more]
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