Do men get more ill than women?

[louby_lou]

This is one that has always baffled me. If I am ill, I sometimes have a good moan to get sympathy, but vey rarely have any of the males in my life been very sympathetic. However when they have been ill, it was like the end of the world and they have 'the worst flu ever', when at the same time I have got a cold and am still going to work, making the tea, tidying the house, etc.
Is it that men really do get more ill than women, or are they just bigger moaners?

[IndieSinger]

In my experience it's been more common the other way 'round. For instance female friends of mine would complain of having "really bad flu" but they're still walking around at work etc. So I'm not sure it's possible to generalise that much, it's just that in your experience, men have appeared to be whinging about illness to you more than you would think necessary.

[maximo]

I think I've read somewhere that women have a higher tolerance to pain in general ( is that correct English..?.). I don't know if this is true, but I have noticed the same thing as louby_lou.

[mullein]

louby lou you are spot on if men have a cold its the flu...if they had to suffer what we women suffer menstrual problems..child bearing i am sure they would be a lot more appreciative of us,,,your question made me laugh as i remembered calling at a friends house once and her husband was prostrate on the settee with a hankey over his face he had hay fever thats all..and he was moaning and groaning,,so it amused me,,fortunately my husband has only had one day sick in 28 years so i guess i have the dieing bit to come when he eventually gets something....mullein

[BUNNY]

They are just bigger moaners.

[cardboard]

My housemates like that. If he has the slightest cold or picks up a tiny knock in football, he turns into a big fanny and gets his lass to do everything for him. Personally I find a cold or whatever goes away quicker if you just get on with it. So I agree some men are bad, but I think you're generalising a bit....

[natalie_1982]

My fella's a bit of both - he has the 'worst' cold/ flu in the world but forces himself to work only to spend the evening whinging that he's aching, cold, sick, etc etc but refuses to get better by having a long hot soak in the bath, vapourub, hot drinks or vitamin C and continues to smoke and drink beer for example to makes himself iller and moans about it even more!

[Ouisch]

The late Erma Bombeck wrote a hilarious piece about this once...she said that once she woke up in the morning with a fever of 104 degrees.  She had chills, was naseous and her eyeballs felt like round razorblades.  Her husband asked her:  "Does that mean you're not going to get up and make breakfast?"  Some time later, her husband woke up with a slight sniffle.  He summoned two medical opinions, had her send the kids to stay with her mom, and wrote CBS telling them he'd make a great two-part episode for "Marcus Welby, MD."

 

Anyway, the theory I've heard is that women, being the childbearers, have a higher threshold for pain.

[lisa76]

women and men get sick the same, men just seem to turn into babies!

[tina007]

My bloke is ill at the mo, he hasn't got out of bed all day, he expects me to do everything for him, and I bet he has a day off sick 2moro!!! to be honest I think men just like the attention!

[Yinzer]

I think they just have blacker hearts.
I remember being very sick once and my husband wouldn't even get me something to eat.
"I don't know what you want and I'm not gonna mess around in the kitchen blah blah blah"
Yet when he's sick I'm usually all
"Can I get you some soup or tea? Would you like me to rub your back? How about a hot bath?"
Although, after I had the baby he did take great care of me, and he's ill right now and I find myself surprisingly unconcerned.
All in all though, I think they're just better a looking completely pathetic.