16 May 2024 | Sue Haupt, Cheryl Carcel & Robyn Norton
The article highlights the critical importance of considering sex and gender in medical research and healthcare practices. Despite significant advancements in technologies like gene editing and artificial intelligence, there is a profound lack of understanding about how these variables affect human health. The authors emphasize that sex and gender can significantly influence disease risk, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes, particularly for conditions such as Alzheimer's, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory conditions, and diabetes.
Key points include:
- **Data Discrepancies**: Independent investigations often reveal that treatments may benefit one sex more than the other.
- **Research Gaps**: Many questions remain about the interrelationships between sex and gender, and this knowledge is not adequately incorporated into clinical trials or medical practices.
- **Inclusivity**: In clinical trials, women are underrepresented, and the inclusion of diverse populations is crucial for accurate data.
- **Policy and Awareness**: Changes in policy and increased awareness among researchers, clinicians, and policymakers are necessary to address these issues.
- **Innovative Approaches**: New tools like machine learning and AI are showing promise in making diagnoses and treatments more gender-specific.
The authors call for routine consideration of sex and gender in research and healthcare, emphasizing the need for broader engagement from funders, publishers, pharmaceutical companies, and regulatory bodies to ensure that advancements in medical science benefit all individuals, regardless of their sex or gender.The article highlights the critical importance of considering sex and gender in medical research and healthcare practices. Despite significant advancements in technologies like gene editing and artificial intelligence, there is a profound lack of understanding about how these variables affect human health. The authors emphasize that sex and gender can significantly influence disease risk, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes, particularly for conditions such as Alzheimer's, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory conditions, and diabetes.
Key points include:
- **Data Discrepancies**: Independent investigations often reveal that treatments may benefit one sex more than the other.
- **Research Gaps**: Many questions remain about the interrelationships between sex and gender, and this knowledge is not adequately incorporated into clinical trials or medical practices.
- **Inclusivity**: In clinical trials, women are underrepresented, and the inclusion of diverse populations is crucial for accurate data.
- **Policy and Awareness**: Changes in policy and increased awareness among researchers, clinicians, and policymakers are necessary to address these issues.
- **Innovative Approaches**: New tools like machine learning and AI are showing promise in making diagnoses and treatments more gender-specific.
The authors call for routine consideration of sex and gender in research and healthcare, emphasizing the need for broader engagement from funders, publishers, pharmaceutical companies, and regulatory bodies to ensure that advancements in medical science benefit all individuals, regardless of their sex or gender.