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A new study says that Hepatitis B virus targets men more fiercely than women, setting off serious problems like cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Men infected with hepatitis B are also six times more likely than women to contract a chronic form of the disease.
About 400 million people worldwide have chronic hepatitis B, including a type that is highly infectious and can be transmitted through blood, saliva and sexual contact.
In lab experiments with mice, researchers headed by Shuhan Sun, Geneticist at the Second Military Medical University, China, found uncharacteristic forms of a protein, apolipoprotein A-I (Apo A-I), in the livers of infected male mice but not infected females.
In addition to explaining the gender differences, the proteins may provide important signs for tracking the development of hepatitis B, the scientists suggest.
