Geschlechtsspezifische Aspekte bei interstitiellen Lungenerkrankungen

Interstitial lung diseases (ILD) comprise a heterogeneous group of diseases affecting the interstices and alveoli with various disease behaviors. Some of these differences can be explained by biological sex and sociocultural or gender-specific behavior The epidemiology of many ILD differs depending on the sex. This can be explained due to genetic factors as well as the behavior, such as domestic and occupational exposure. Sex-dependent aspects are also important in relation to the diagnostics and utilization of the healthcare system. This is reflected, for example, in the higher rate of hospitalization in men, who also tend to start a specific ILD treatment more frequently. Various ILD, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP), connective tissue disease-related ILD (CTD-ILD) and lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), illustrate gender effects in the prevalence and outcome particularly well. Awareness of the diverse sex-specific aspects in the diagnostics and treatment as well as other areas, such as education and clinical research is essential.