Women Do Worse Than Men—Gender-Specific Differences in Burn Patients

Abstract This chapter summarizes the current state of the literature regarding gender-specific differences in outcome for patients with burn injuries. The main focus of this chapter will be a consideration of the reasons for the sexual dimorphism in survival from burns. Despite increasing research directed at women’s health, the literature is limited and quite inconsistent. The lack of gender-specific research in burn patients becomes even more obvious when seeking explanations for the underlying mechanisms that cause the vulnerability of women to burn injury. Ultimately, if female gender influenced burn mortality it would be imperative to consider gender-related differences in the development of novel therapeutic interventions in burn patients.