Sex, stress and sleep apnoea: Decreased susceptibility to upper airway muscle dysfunction following intermittent hypoxia in females

Functional reorganization in obstructive sleep apnoea and insomnia: A systematic review of the resting-state fMRI

“…It is increasingly recognized that, due to the wide range of idiosyncratic vulnerabilities and multiple epigenetic and genetic adaptive and maladaptive mechanisms ( Baril et al, 2017 ) at play, it is very difficult to predict specific future risk for any individual patient. In addition, an important issue of gender differences, and the potential impact of sex hormones on pathophysiology of both disorders during reproductive age in women, whilst recognized in the field ( O’Halloran et al, 2016 ), is far from being fully explained and documented. Similarly, the diversity and the diffuse nature of reported neurocognitive deficits, make the panacea “cure-all” treatment approach in these disorders less likely.…”

Cardiovascular sequelae of the sleep apnoea syndrome: Sex, stress and therapeutic strategies

“…Of interest, short‐term IH evoked only modest vascular oxidative stress and aortic dysfunction, which was fully resolved following long‐term IH exposure, which differs from observations of aortic and arteriolar stress and dysfunction in male rats, revealing sex differences that are independent of the prevailing hormonal status. It appears that female vascular tissue is relatively tolerant of IH, which may relate to oestrogen‐oestrogen receptor axis signalling and intrinsic resilience in female peripheral vascular tissues, similar to observations in skeletal muscle . Nevertheless, ovariectomy provokes oxidative stress in the acute phase in normoxia revealing the antioxidant properties of ovarian hormones in vascular tissues.…”

Effect of Gender on Chronic Intermittent Hypoxic Fosb Expression in Cardiorespiratory-Related Brain Structures in Mice

“…Third, genetic polymorphisms of the 5-HT systems are associated with OSA in men, but not women (Ylmaz et al, 2005 ). Mechanisms by which sex hormones participate in the difference between men and women concerning upper airway collapsibility are not fully understood, even if it has been recently reported in mice that estrogens play a key role, partially by antioxidant activity, within upper airway muscles (O'Halloran et al, 2017 ).…”