We all know that autoimmune diseases and thyroid disfunction, two of the most common chronic illnesses, are much more prevalent in women than men. In fact, I have read some figures where certain autoimmune diseases occur in ~20% of men and 80% of women. That's a big, big discrepancy. Even here on CureZone, it seems like the number of women with chronic illnesses outnumber the guys. However, I don't want to make generalizations and that's just an observation so take it with a grain of salt. I hesitate to even make that statement without solid evidence to back up my point. Getting back to the topic, how do we explain the role of gender in chronic illness? The seemingly logical answer points to hormones. Is it a case of too much estrogen? Could we make a connection between men with low testosterone levels being more likely to have chronic illness? I think this is a fascinating topic and would like to read everyone's opinion.