The popularity of brain impairments makes the study of neurological disorders important to human health. The neurologic system weakens with age and the old, mostly those above 85 years, experience moderate to severe neurological issues. Males and females experience differences in their neurological issues regardless of their age and the severity of the impact on each gender depends on the issues of concern and the impact of gender-specific hormones.
Millions of Americans experience the onset of various neurological disorders each year and this high prevalence underlines the significance of studying and understanding neurological health. Some of the most common neurological disorders include hearing impairments, migraines, blindness, chronic tinnitus, and substance abuse (Somnath, 2018, p.2.). Other common disorders affecting the neurological system include Parkinson’s disease and traumatic brain injury (Somnath, 2018, p.2). Hearing impairments, which is another form of neurological disorders, affects approximately 48 million Americans (Somnath, 2018, p.2). However, gender plays a critical role in the nature and severity of neurologic disorders.
Biological mechanisms responsible for sex-specific characteristics influence the health of the neurological system. Women have a high likelihood of suffering from anxiety disorders, depression, and a late onset of schizophrenia than men (Pinares-Garcia, 2018, p.3). Men are more likely to suffer from autism, Attention-Deficit Hypersensitive Disorder (ADHD), Tourette’s syndrome, motor neurone disease, and Parkinson’s disease (Pinares-Garcia, 2018, p.5). Males and females experience differences in the most prevalent neurological disorders due to their different sex hormones (Pinares-Garcia, 2018, p.7). Sex chromosome genes also influence the health of the neurological system with evidence indicating that some of these genes alter the differentiation process, attention, and working memory (Pinares-Garcia, 2018, p.9). The proven role of sex chromosome genes on the neurological system calls for studies into the role and impact of sex-specific hormonal therapies in the treatment and management of neurological disorders.
Neurological disorders influence the quality of life negatively and researching these disorders can improve neurological health especially in the old. With evidence identifying the role of sex hormones in the type and severity of neurological disorders, researchers and specialists should look at sex-specific hormonal therapies more closely.
References
Pinares-Garcia, P., Stratikopoulos, M., Zagato, A., Loke, H., & Lee, J. (2018). Sex: A significant
risk factor for neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. Brain Sciences, 8(8), 154.
Somnath, P. (2018, January 19). Incidence and prevalence of neurologic disorders. U.S.
Pharmacist.