Men all over the world have claimed to have suffered from man flu at least once in their lives. But, is man flu a real illness and if it is how does it differ from other flu and is there a female equivalent?
Well, according to the oxford dictionary, the term is very real! There is still some debate regarding man flu. Some believe that it is just the regular common cold with some individuals exaggerating their symptoms and the severity of the flu. Another possibility is that it is a respiratory illness that does not affect the female half of the population. Men and women tend to experience different symptoms with different diseases so perhaps men suffering from a bad bout of the flu are one of those to add to this list. One classic example is a heart attack. Men tend to experience severe chest pain whereas women are more likely to experience shortness of breath and nausea.
One study focused on man flu came to the conclusion that the flu jab receives a better response in women and that the high levels of testosterone in men might cause a lower antibody response. There are more recorded deaths in men dying from the flu than women so perhaps in general, a male immune system is not as strong as a woman’s when it comes to a cold.
So, to summarise, there is no exact definition or illness related to man flu. It is a tricky one to define or indeed diagnose. Men do tend to suffer worse with colds and take longer to recover. So, should women be more sympathetic towards men complaining of man flu? That’s up to you to decide.
Grab your tickets to The Post-Mortem Live here!
.png)