Why do men die earlier than women?

Concealing health problems for fear of being judged as weak, delaying going to the doctor, and lack of resources make men's life expectancy shorter than women's.

For years, the medical community blamed the lack of sex-specific research that left women and the vulnerable behind in health care programs. This is a real concern, but a closer look at the longevity data reveals a more complicated picture.

In fact, men's risk of death is higher at all ages, from infancy, adolescence, middle age to old age. As a result, the life expectancy gap between men and women is widening. In the US, life expectancy in 2021 for women is 79.1 and for men it is 73.2. Nearly 6 years is the largest gap in the past 25 years. Globally, the average life expectancy for women is 74.2 while the figure for men is only 69.8.

Derek Griffith, director of the Georgetown University Center for Men's Health Equality, says men have an advantage in all aspects of society, but health outcomes are mostly worse.

"We often don't give priority to men in terms of health. But they also need to be taken care of. This has an impact on the rest of the family, including women and children." , said Dr. Griffith.

The life expectancy gap between men and women is a global phenomenon, although cultural norms, geopolitical factors, war, climate change and poverty can influence the data.

Men are more likely to die from Covid-19 than women. This gap cannot be explained by infection rates or medical history. The age-specific mortality rate for males is 140 per 100,000, while for females it is 87 per 100,000. More men die from diabetes than women. The ratio for men is 31 per 100,000, for women it is 19 per 100,000. The number of deaths from cancer, suicide, and car accidents is similar.

Experts cannot fully explain the lifespan gap, but biological factors play an important role. For example, high testosterone levels can weaken the immune response, explaining why men and male animals in general are more susceptible to parasites. Estrogen is responsible for less heart disease in women, so the life expectancy gap narrows as women reach menopause.

On the other hand, the stereotypes surrounding masculinity make men hide their feelings, not complaining about health problems. They believe that revealing their illness is a sign of weakness.

"Depression in men is very difficult to recognize. Men are socially programmed not to complain. Suicide in men often comes on suddenly, more suddenly than in women," said Dr. Marianne J. Legato, who founder of the Sex Medicine Foundation in New York.

The life expectancy of men in the world is lower than that of women. Photo: Freepik

Advocates of further research into men's health say the goal is not to undercut the health resources of women, children and the vulnerable. According to Ronald Henry, president and co-founder of the Men's Health Network, when men are by default the privileged group, health professionals are ignoring the silent crisis they have to endure.

For example, for many years, the medical community believed that women used too many health care resources, while men used "moderately".

"We used to think that women were always overly concerned or impatient about their condition, men were more rational. However, later on, we started to realize that women take better care of their health. , focus on prevention, and men visit too little, exploiting medical resources below average," Dr. Griffith explained.

Diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure are common in both sexes, but men delay medical examination and are often diagnosed at a late stage, leading to more damage and poor treatment outcomes.

The proportion of boys and girls visiting the clinic is about the same, but the balance is skewed in adulthood. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), women were 40% more likely to visit a doctor than men in 2018.

Part of the reason is that women regularly see a gynecologist of reproductive age. However, even excluding antenatal and gynecological visits, women were twice as likely to have routine check-ups and use preventive services as men.

According to doctors, most men go to the hospital for sports injuries and erectile dysfunction treatment. "At the age of 20, 30, a man is primarily concerned with physical and sexual health. The idea of ​​going to the doctor to prevent cancer or heart disease does not come to mind," said Howard LeWine, an internist. at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

Hospitals have orthodontics, but care often focuses on urinary and prostate health rather than cardiovascular, mental health or other medical problems.

"There's a gap in empathy. A lot of people shrug their shoulders and say, 'Yeah, men die earlier. That's how the world works.' But things could have been different. If we had given our attention and resources to it. force, everything will change," said Dr. Henry.