Summary
Bronchial asthma is a disease which changes over the course of a lifetime and is dependent on viruses, triggers and allergens in the environment as well as immune and hormonal cycle.
Objective. To summarize the latest publications on the significance of sex hormones in the pathogenesis of asthma, to review clinical manifestations of asthma in women during various stages of life as well as to analyze the possibilities of laboratory diagnostics in this field.
Literature review. According to research data, starting from puberty the incidence of bronchial asthma among women is higher than in men. This increase in asthma incidence is maintained until around the time of menopause when an opposite shift occurs. The fluctuations of sex hormones during menstruation, pregnancy, perimenopause and postmenopause are associated with the changes in clinical manifestation of bronchial asthma. In addition, studies of animal models suggest that ovarian hormones upregulate while androgens downregulate various components of the innate and adaptive immunity thus controlling the pathogenetic mechanisms of asthma and determining differences in symptoms of asthma. Moreover, an association between a protective effect of combined oral contraceptives and the development of asthma has been noticed. However, additional studies are required in order to determine if combined oral contraceptives can be used as a preventative measure among women. Furthermore, laboratory diagnostics are significant to the future research in this field, with the aim of acquiring more uniform data regarding the molecular mechanisms of asthma as well as pursuing new patient-oriented treatment options.
Methods. The search of relevant literature sources was conducted in the “Pubmed” medical database and in the specialized search engine “Google Scholar”. Further selection of publications was done according to the recommendations of the PRISMA statement.
Conclusion. Sex hormones are significant in the pathogenesis of asthma. The fluctuations of the sex hormones influence differences in the incidence rates of asthma between the sexes and determine the variable clinical manifestations over the adult life course in women.
