Men are more at risk of experiencing bad symptoms when infected with Covid

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A study in England reported a strong association between male gender and the risk of death from COVID-19. This report was made after research was carried out on 17,000 adults who contracted COVID-19.

In the study Catherine Gebhard reports in the journal Biomedcentral: Biology of Sex Differences writes that about 60% of deaths from COVID-19 occur in men.

Gebhard explained, based on data from the country of origin of the virus, namely China, COVID-19 is more deadly for infected men than women. The death rate for men in China was 2.8%, while for women it was 1.7%.

What are the reasons and risks of worsening COVID-19 symptoms in men?

Immune factors or immune response abilities

Men are more at risk of experiencing bad symptoms of COVID-19 because of differences in immune response. This difference in the strength of the immune response also occurs in several other diseases.

Immune factor often has a big influence in every disease, including COVID-19. Antibodies in women's bodies consistently respond more strongly to seasonal vaccines than in men.

The main difference in antibody responsiveness between males and females occurred during the early phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection. This is explained in a study published in the journal Nature. One of the research team, Takahashi Takehiro, wrote that greater inflammation occurred more frequently in male COVID-19 patients.

The study also looked at how sex differences influenced the strength of the cytokine response in which men showed higher levels of cytokines. High levels of cytokines can cause inflammation. Inflammation like this can basically be useful for killing pathogens, but overreaction can lead to higher fever and other bad symptoms of COVID-19.

In severe cases of COVID-19, inflammation due to most cytokines can damage the lungs. During this inflammation the immune system releases molecules that are toxic to the virus but also toxic to lung tissue.

As a result, there is a buildup of fluid in the lungs and reduces the oxygen available in the body to function normally. This can lead to tissue damage, shock, and potentially multiple organ failure.

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COVID-19 infection tends to last longer in men

Takehiro's study also found that men have a lower number of T cells than women. T cells or T lymphocytes are white blood cells that play one of the major roles in the immune system. The power of T cells can kill viruses that enter the body as well as antibodies.

When T-cells are activated in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection, the male body with low levels of T-cells is likely to suffer more.

However, by knowing this information, doctors can help and treat male patients more seriously in order to achieve a cure. With a greater inherited biological risk men need to be aware of social distancing, wash their hands and wear masks.

Higher adherence to infection preventive protection, especially in men, can reduce the risk of infection. It also reduces the increased risk of serious illness and death from COVID-19.