Gender differences and inflammation: an in vitro model of blood cells stimulation in prepubescent children.

Background: Gender influences clinical presentations and markers in inflammatory diseases. In many chronic conditions, frequency of complications is greater in females, suggesting that continuous inflammatory reaction may induce greater damage in targeted organs and functions.

Methods: To investigate gender dimorphism at a cellular level, we evaluated the production of cytokines implicated in inflammatory processes (IL -1, IL- 6, PGE-2 and TNF alpha), in healthy prepubescent children of both sex and Turner's syndrome (TS) patients (genotype XO).