autoimmune diseases They occur when your immune system attacks your body instead of protecting it. When your body cannot tell the difference between your own cells and foreign cells, it starts attacking normal cells which eventually leads to autoimmune disease. Johns Hopkins Medicine says there are more than 80 types of autoimmune diseases that affect different organs in the body. Some of the most common autoimmune diseases are rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, lupus, Graves’ disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and type 1 diabetes.

A study from Stanford Medicine states that 4 out of 5 people affected by autoimmune diseases are women – “Women have a lot of good stuff: it’s called an X chromosome.”

According to a report by Tidsskriftet, it is beneficial for women to have two X chromosomes. Women are protected from X-linked hereditary diseases. “A woman with a defective gene on one X chromosome will often be unaffected as long as she has a normal copy of the gene on the other X chromosome. The presence of two However, the price of having two

In the mammalian kingdom biological sex is determined by the presence of two X chromosomes in each female cell. Male cells pack only one X chromosome, paired with a much smaller Y chromosome. The Y chromosome contains only a handful of active genes. It is quite possible to live a full life without a Y chromosome. However, no mammalian cell, male or female, can survive without at least one copy of the

Stanford Medicine says that having two This much production of so many proteins would be fatal. Therefore, one of the X chromosomes is inactivated. Thus the same amount of each X-chromosome-specified protein is produced in the female cell as in the male cell.

Researchers found that X-chromosome inactivation can lead to autoimmune disorders, although other factors can also cause these disorders. This also explains why men sometimes develop autoimmune diseases.

Dr. Tushar Tayal, Consultant, Internal Medicine, CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram, and Dr. Mahesh Chavan, Senior Consultant, Endocrinology, Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai, explain how the X-chromosome and other factors make autoimmune diseases more prevalent in women.

A combination of genetic, hormonal, and immunological factors make autoimmune diseases more common in women.

role of x chromosome

The Unlike men, who have one X chromosome, women experience unique immune regulatory challenges. A major factor is that some immune-related genes escape from the process of X-inactivation, where one of the X chromosomes in each cell is silenced. This escape leads to higher expression of genes such as Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7), which is strongly linked to lupus, an autoimmune disease. Additionally, during pregnancy, fetal cells may persist in the mother’s body, a phenomenon called microchimerism, which can potentially trigger autoimmune conditions later in life.

role of hormonal influences

The estrogen hormone increases immune responses which is beneficial for fighting infection but can also increase the likelihood of autoimmune reactions. In contrast, testosterone, which is higher in men, has an immunosuppressive effect, which provides some protection against these conditions. Hormone fluctuations during pregnancy, menstruation or menopause further regulate disease activity, with conditions such as lupus often flaring up during hormonal peaks.

role of the immune system

Women generally have stronger immune systems, likely an evolutionary adaptation to protect offspring. However, this increased immune response increases the risk of the immune system attacking the body’s own tissues. Women also have higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which may predispose them to autoimmune conditions.

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