Female hormone exposes women to life-threatening allergies

Recent studies show women are at a greater risk of allergic reactions, both fatal and nonfatal.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - A woman's body has female-specific hormones. It is because of these hormones that women are more susceptible to deadly allergic reactions.

Estrogen, the primary female sex hormone, was seen to worsen allergic reactions in lab tests, according to researchers.

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Anaphylaxis, an allergic reactions caused by food, insects or medication, causes immune cells to release enzymes that cause tissues to swell and blood vessels to widen making skin flush and rashes to develop.

In extreme cases, anaphylaxis can cause breathing difficulties, shock or heart attacks.

According to previous studies, "women  tend to experience anaphylaxis more frequently than men, but why this difference exists is unclear."

The US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases found the female-specific estradiol, a type of estrogen, enhances the levels of the enzyme that drives allergic reactions. Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), the enzyme, is created by estrogen.

Once the researchers blocked eNOS activity, completely erased all allergy differences between the genders. In addition to blocking eNOS, blocking estrogen also had an effect.

"The study had identified a clear link between estrogen and eNOS and severe anaphylactic reactions," said the researchers.

The next step is to use these findings and apply them to developing affective allergy treatments.

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