Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40201373›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in public health2025

Sex differences in acute respiratory tract infections-multi-year analysis based on data from a large tertiary care medical center in Israel.

Victoria Peer, Michal Mandelboim, Menucha Jurkowicz, Manfred S Green

Abstract read
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Article in Frontiers in public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed.

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  6. Epidemiology ofFrontiers in public health · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Victoria PeerSchool of Public Health, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
Michal MandelboimDepartment of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, School of Public Health, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Menucha JurkowiczDepartment of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, School of Public Health, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Manfred S GreenSchool of Public Health, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Acute respiratory tract infections impose a considerable burden on the health services. The development of improved prevention and treatment measures requires a better understanding of the mechanisms of infection. Since sex has been shown to be an important biological variable in the immune response to infections, we aimed to assess sex differences in the incidence rates of respiratory infections. Materials and methods: We obtained data on cases hospitalized with diagnosed respiratory tract infections by sex and age group over a period of 11 years (2012-2022) from the Sheba Medical Center (SMC), the largest tertiary care medical center in Israel. Nasopharyngeal samples collected from the patients with symptoms of a respiratory tract infection were examined for adenovirus, influenza, rhinovirus, parainfluenza-3, human metapneumovirus (hMPV) and respiratory syncitial virus (RSV) in the Central Virology Laboratory and Viral RNA/DNA was extracted and tested using a real-time reverse transcription-PCR (rRT-PCR) assay. We calculated annual male to female incidence rate ratios (IRRs) which were combined over the period of the study using meta-analysis methodology. Results: There was a male excess in infection rates for all viruses, particularly in the youngest age groups of <0 and 1-4 years. Our analyses revealed that the influenza incidence rates were 42 and 28% higher in males in infants and toddlers. The male dominance was similar for adenovirus with 33 and 38% in infancy and age group 1-4. For RSV, the male to female IRR was higher at ages <1 and 1-4 (22 and 21% respectively). Males were more likely to be positive for rhinovirus in infancy and toddlers, by 40 and 25%, respectively. Conclusion: There is evidence of an excess incidence of respiratory diseases in males. The mechanism is unclear. Other than behavioral factors, there is a need to study the role of sex hormones and genetic factors.

Indexed as

Respiratory Tract InfectionsAcute DiseaseAdolescentAdultAgedChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHospitalizationHumansIncidenceInfantInfant, NewbornIsraelMaleMiddle Agedacute respiratory tract infectionsadenovirushuman metapneumovirusinfluenzaparainfluenza-3respiratory syncytial virusrhinovirussex differences

Identifiers

PMID40201373
PMCPMC11975658

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.