Gender Differences in Critical Illness and Critical Care Research

Tasnim I Lat; Meghan K McGraw; Heath D White

doi:10.1016/j.ccm.2021.04.012

Gender Differences in Critical Illness and Critical Care Research

Clin Chest Med. 2021 Sep;42(3):543-555. doi: 10.1016/j.ccm.2021.04.012.

Authors

Tasnim I Lat¹, Meghan K McGraw², Heath D White²

Affiliations

¹ Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Baylor Scott & White Health, 2401 South 31st Street, Temple, TX 76508, USA. Electronic address: Tasnim.Lat@BSWHealth.org.
² Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Baylor Scott & White Health, 2401 South 31st Street, Temple, TX 76508, USA.

Abstract

Gender is emerging as a factor that may impact the trajectory of critical illness; clinical trials in critical care have largely enrolled men with little attention to equal distribution of sexes. Distribution of admission to the intensive care unit and utilization of resources differs by gender. Sex hormones are thought to impact the course of critical illness. Management and outcomes in sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome have been demonstrated to differ by gender as well as in pregnancy. Outcomes of critically ill patients may be impacted by gender.

Keywords: ARDS; Critical illness; Estrogen; Female; Gender; Obstetrics; SARS-CoV-2; Sepsis.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Critical Care
Critical Illness*
Female
Humans
Intensive Care Units
Male
Pregnancy
Respiratory Distress Syndrome* / diagnosis
Respiratory Distress Syndrome* / epidemiology
Respiratory Distress Syndrome* / therapy
Sex Factors*