Sex Differences in Airway Diseases.

ABSTRACT

It is evident that sex and gender differences impact pathophysiology, disease burden, and treatment outcomes for a variety of systems and major illnesses including those affecting the unified airway. Important male-female differences in unified airway disease are driven by various intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms including anatomic, morphometric, hormonal, genetic (and epigenetic), environmental, psycho-social, and comorbidity-related factors. This review highlights current knowledge of how patient sex influences epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes for diseases affecting the unified airway.