Toronto: Men hospitalised after contracting pneumonia are more likely than women to die the next year, in spite of aggressive treatment, according to a study. University of Pittsburgh researchers, led by Sachin Yende, arrived at this conclusion after evaluating data from 1,136 men and 1,047 women with symptoms of pneumonia who were treated at emergency departments.

"Our study showed that men were more likely to die up to a year after pneumonia. Further, our findings indicate this may be linked to differences in immune response," said Yende.

"It is well known that women live longer than men. We have always assumed that these differences occur because men engage in riskier behaviours and have a greater burden of chronic diseases," he added.

On average, men arrived at the emergency departments with poorer vital signs, were more likely to be smokers and had a greater variety of complicating health conditions.

Investigators adjusted results for age, race, tobacco use, other demographic characteristics, chronic health conditions, health behaviours and levels of treatment, but still found men had a 30 percent higher risk of death.

These findings are to be presented on Tuesday at the 104th International Conference of the American Thoracic Society here.

Yende and his team examined a series of molecules important to the body's immune response to infection, finding significant differences between men and women in levels of tumour necrosis and other factors.

"No one had shown this before," said Yende. "So these differences in immune response could explain at least some of the differences in survival." IANS