Federal government websites often end in. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site. The site is secure. NCBI Bookshelf. Advancing Research on Chronic Conditions in Women. This chapter describes the research progress on and advances in understanding chronic conditions present in both women and men that predominantly impact or affect women differently.
As mentioned in Chapter 1 , the committee selected certain chronic conditions to highlight to provide an overview of the evidence base and research gaps around them.
Chapter 4 provided data on the impact of select chronic conditions. This chapter highlights the specific role of biological factors, with specific emphasis on estrogens, sex chromosome effects, and influences of the maternal in utero environment, in the development of the disease or condition; emerging differences in how these disorders and conditions present themselves; diagnosis, treatment, and management in women; disparities by racial and ethnic groups and sexual orientation in terms of effects on susceptibility and outcomes; and research gaps.
Depression is more common in women, affecting them across the life course and causing significant morbidity and mortality Bromet et al. Differences in the prevalence and effects of depression are likely related to biological, environmental, and societal factors Yuan et al.
Research has yet to fully elucidate the biological mechanisms underlying the susceptibility of women to depression. Several lines of evidence indicate roles for the gamma-aminobutyric acid GABA , serotonin, and dopamine neurotransmitter systems and the stress-responsive hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis in depression.
