Table 2.
Gender in human environmentally-induced autoimmunity
| Environmental Agent | Autoimmune Disease | Gender Predominance |
|---|---|---|
| Silica | SLE | None |
| SSc | Male (occupational?) | |
| RA | None | |
| Mercury | ANA, inflammatory cytokines | None |
| Membranous nephropathy | Female (cosmetic or non-conventional therapeutic) |
|
| Pesticides | ANA | Female |
| Solvents (TCE) | SSc | Possible male (occupational?) |
| Smoking | RA | Increased risk for both sexes, higher in males |
| PBC | Increased risk (female predominant disease) | |
| Graves’ disease | Female | |
| Cosmetics | SLE | Increased risk (female predominant disease) |
| PBC | Increased risk (female predominant disease) | |
| RA | Increased risk (female predominant disease) | |
| Infection (EBV) | SLE | Increased risk (female predominant disease) |
| Diet | ||
| -L-tryptophan | EMS | Female or none |
| -Adulterated cooking oil | TOS | Female |
| -Gliadin | CD | Female |
| Ionizing radiation | Hypothyroidism | Female |
| Graves’ disease | None | |
| Ultraviolet radiation | MS | Global none; Canada female, New Zealand female |
See text for details.