7 Reasons Men Die First

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kikus of AL 6:10PM June 12, 2010

What is the name of that guy on MSNBC who said, "men die first because their wives are killing them?"

Leo of NY 3:19PM March 21, 2010

AGgHnC

Hxoidkbe of AZ 8:05AM July 15, 2009

I think mens health is largely determined by their family history and their living habits.

John of GA 3:54PM July 05, 2008

Your doctor's opinion is little more than politically correct rhetoric founded on pseudoscience. You should be ashamed of yourself. Your genetic analysis is just plain incorrect. I'm not even a doctor, I just took biology in college, and I know you're wrong. Your attempt to justify behavioral difference based on areas of the brain that are barely understood is little more than pandering to the female audience that likely predominates the health section of your website. Your professionalism borders at the level of the modern sitcom, complete with the buffoon husband and the brilliant wife that consistently denigrates him.
I agree with the other posters. Men's health is worse than women's because there is less concern for it, both in the medical community and society as a whole. When that changes, men's health will improve.
Also, the three leading causes of preventable death are obesity, smoking, and excessive drinking in that order. Women lead men in obesity and smoking rates and have for over a decade. It is well known by the medical community (but apparently not by you) that women aren't in any better health than men, it's just that the disease men face are deadlier earlier in their lives. Yet still, as others have posted, men have no special interests groups to support their needs while women are federally funded.
So the way you're blaming men for their health is really just another way of blaming the victim. In this case you're in the OK because you're attacking men and you know you'll get little retaliation by doing so thanks to political correctness run amok.

Billy of CO 3:00PM June 24, 2008

I would have to agree with the poster from Texas regarding much of the pseudo science that has taken hold at the graduate level in medicine. It's easy for people to hear buzzwords and take them as gospel truth when more research needs to be conducted.
Ultimately, men need more resources. There are federally sponsored health organizations for women that have no male counterpart. An example is the FDA
(http://www.fda.gov/womens/default.htm ) clearly this is a womens health site.
The Men's health site is a minor link on the page on the left hand side off of the womens site! (http://www.4woman.gov/mens/ ) There is no men's health page at DHHS or the FDA. Where is the 4men dot gov? (2) see Reference
The call for intellectual honesty is well received. If we are to be truly intellectually honest we must admit we can't have it both ways; You can't say on one hand, that women are neglected by the medical establishment and that they are aways victims hence the need for their own hospitals, government funded websites etc. etc. yet on the same hand say, women are biologically superior.
If the female sex is so biologically superior, then why the need for all of the special health care and social support?
While I'm sure Marianne Legato's intentions are good, they have a succinct ring of selective Eugenics (1) See reference
Ultimately both sexes are prone to specific medical issues that are unique to them. Let's leave the social-political stuff on the amateur blogs where it belongs and leave the real science to those of us who really wish to find the cause, affect and effective treatment of disease processes that affect both sexes.
References:
1. http://www.eugenicsarchive.org/eugenics/ [Human Genome Project]
2. http://www.fda.gov/womens/default.htm [ Food and Drug Administration - Office of
Women's Health ]
3. http://www.4woman.gov/mens/ [Men's health page on 4Women ]

Dr. Bessen of WI 10:45AM June 19, 2008

If you have a sensitive stomach, you may want to leave.
I see an increase of articles disguised as science to advance this strange idea that somehow, men are genetically inferior.
If this were to be said about Jews (My mother is French-Ashkenazim by the way) or African-Americans there would be an uproar. Because it's about men in general it's OK?
Let's first define some items and then address some of the points medically that Dr. Legato states.
First let's leave politics out this. As a medical student, I see this in school every day and it's annoying to say the least. Politics have no place in science.
1. Political Correctness has no place in science. It's a virus that has infected our medical education and it hurts everyone!
2. The reason Political Correctness is a virus is because it is intellectual dishonesty passed off as 'feel-good' silliness because someone might feel 'uncomfortable'. By all means let's address the health issues affecting men but let's leave some of the pseudo-science behind.
Now on to the medical aspects....
It's interesting that Dr. Marianne Legato fails to point out that the size of the chromosome has little to do with cytological compensatory behavior. From the perspective of genetics, because males have only one X chromosome and are therefor hemizygous (as opposed to homozygous) for X-linked traits, males will show those X-linked traits regardless of their recessive or dominant behavior in the female. It's called Mendelian Mathematics and it's pretty basic stuff.
This accounts for the large numbers of X-linked diseases. Affected males do not transmit an X chromosome to their sons; thus an important feature of X-linked inheritance is the absence of male-to-male transmission. In contrast, since all females inherit their fathers' single X chromosomes, their daughters are all obligate carriers a They may no be affected but the daughters are certainly carriers and will have the capacity to pass this to their sons.
Another interesting fact, women are more prone to intestinal disorders, have a higher mortality post-diagnosis of late stage cancers due to the myriad of female-specific cancers etc.
I've read her 'science' regard women having more frontal cortex connections and while that is true, mens brains are larger and encephalogenic vasculature is larger as a result and thus requires less.
Men also experience less osteo-centric issues than women. (I could go on a length about that but lack the room)
Societal Reasons: (Here we find agreement)
- Lack of Health Resources: Despite the media hype the reality is easy to observe;
How many Women's hospitals are there in the US? approx. 78 at last count.
How may Men's Hospitals? Zero!
- Men are more likely to suffer PTSD due to their jobs.
Especially veterans of combat.
- Women are supported by more social, legal and medical resources. (I lack room)
- Women see doctors more often than men about 3x more often and are 46% more likely to take time off.

Medical Student of TX 3:26PM June 18, 2008

If you have a sensitive stomach, you may want to leave.
I see an increase of articles disguised as science to advance this strange idea that somehow, men are genetically inferior.
If this were to be said about Jews (My mother is French-Ashkenazim by the way) or African-Americans there would be an uproar. Because it's about men in general it's OK?
Let's first define some items and then address some of the points medically that Dr. Legato states.
First let's leave politics out this. As a medical student, I see this in school every day and it's annoying to say the least. Politics have no place in science.
1. Political Correctness has no place in science. It's a virus that has infected our medical education and it hurts everyone!
2. The reason Political Correctness is a virus is because it is intellectual dishonesty passed off as 'feel-good' silliness because someone might feel 'uncomfortable'. By all means let's address the health issues affecting men but let's leave some of the pseudo-science behind.
Now on to the medical aspects....
It's interesting that Dr. Marianne Legato fails to point out that the size of the chromosome has little to do with cytological compensatory behavior. From the perspective of genetics, because males have only one X chromosome and are therefor hemizygous (as opposed to homozygous) for X-linked traits, males will show those X-linked traits regardless of their recessive or dominant behavior in the female. It's called Mendelian Mathematics and it's pretty basic stuff.
This accounts for the large numbers of X-linked diseases. Affected males do not transmit an X chromosome to their sons; thus an important feature of X-linked inheritance is the absence of male-to-male transmission. In contrast, since all females inherit their fathers' single X chromosomes, their daughters are all obligate carriers a They may no be affected but the daughters are certainly carriers and will have the capacity to pass this to their sons.
Another interesting fact, women are more prone to intestinal disorders, have a higher mortality post-diagnosis of late stage cancers due to the myriad of female-specific cancers etc.
I've read her 'science' regard women having more frontal cortex connections and while that is true, mens brains are larger and encephalogenic vasculature is larger as a result and thus requires less.
Men also experience less osteo-centric issues than women. (I could go on a length about that but lack the room)
Societal Reasons: (Here we find agreement)
- Lack of Health Resources:
Despite the media hype the reality is easy to observe;
How many Women's hospitals are there in the US? approx. 78 at last count.
How may Men's Hospitals? Zero!
- Men are more likely to suffer PTSD due to their jobs.
Especially veterans of combat.
- Women are supported by more social, legal and medical resources. (I lack room)
- Women see doctors more often than men about 3x more often and are 46% more likely to take time off.

Truth in Science of TX 3:20PM June 18, 2008

Fascinating piece, especially poignant to anyone who has lost someone too soon...I wish more men and women who care for them knew about these things.

C. Hirzel of DE 9:55AM June 16, 2008

Thank you for an extremely important compilation of our frailities. I am going through an unusual physical period presently and hope I can review some of the above statements with my physician.

Michael J Zajac of NJ 9:26AM June 15, 2008