Cystic fibrosis breakthrough reveals why females fare worse than males
Friday, May 25, 2012 - 15:30
in Health & Medicine
Researchers have discovered why females with cystic fibrosis do worse than males. The study is the first to show that the female hormone estrogen promotes the presence of a particular form of bacteria which results in more severe symptoms for female cystic fibrosis patients. In addition, females who were taking the oral contraceptive pill, which decreases the amount of naturally occurring estrogen in their bodies, were found to have lower levels of the problematic bacteria.