Men may be more dramatic when they get the flu, but a new study finds they might recover from it more quickly, too.
Scientists at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School Of Public Health infected mice with a non-lethal dose of the H1N1, an Influenza A strain.
Male and female mice had similar virus levels and cleared it in about the same amount of time, but the female mice had greater loss of body mass and more lung inflammation during the acute phase of the infection, and were slower to recover normal lung function.
Researchers say the males had more of a lung-healing protein called amphiregulin, which is how they healed more quickly. Researchers theorize males evolved with greater wound-healing abilities because they were more likely to take place in battles for territories, mates and resources.
(UPI)