A person's sex also seems to have some role in the development of autoimmunity. Nearly 75% of the more than 23.5 million Americans who suffer from autoimmune disease are women, although it is less-frequently acknowledged that millions of men also suffer from these diseases. According to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA), autoimmune diseases that develop in men tend to be more severe. A few autoimmune diseases that men are just as or more likely to develop as women, include: ankylosing spondylitis, type 1 diabetes mellitus, Wegener's granulomatosis, Crohn's disease and psoriasis. The reasons for the sex role in autoimmunity are unclear. Apart from inherent genetic susceptibility, several animal models suggest a role for sex steroids.
It has also been suggested that the slight exchange of cells between mothers and their children during pregnancy may induce autoimmunity. This would tip the gender balance in the direction of the female.
Another theory suggests the female high tendency to get autoimmunity is due to an imbalanced X chromosome inactivation. The X-inactivation skew theory, proposed by Princeton University's Jeff Stewart, has recently been confirmed experimentally in scleroderma and autoimmune thyroiditis.
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