Now it has been proved why men get sicker in hospital than women: a new study from Columbia University School of Nursing reveals that women are less likely to contract bloodstream- (BSI) or surgical site infections (SSI) than their counterparts.
Investigated the infectious cases in thousands of hospitals, it came out that the odds of community-associated BSI were 30% higher in men compared to women, for healthcare-associated BSI, 60% higher in men compared to women, and for SSI, 60% higher in men compared to women. A possible reason for the gender differences in both BSI and SSI incidence may be the biological differences between men and women’s skin. Says Cohen: “In addition to using enhanced infection risk profiles to improve infection rates, it may be sensible to conduct specialized preoperative skin decontamination procedures and postoperative wound care for men to further reduce the risk of infection.”