Men Have Increased Risk of COVID-19 Associated Death

Men with COVID-19 have worse outcomes than women, possibly related to them experiencing higher levels of inflammation, says a New research presented at ESCMID Conference on Coronavirus Disease by Dr Frank Hanses, University Hospital Regensburg, Germany and colleagues.//

The study reveals that men have a 62% increased risk of COVID-19 associated death when compared to women, after adjustment for various factors.

Coronavirus
Coronaviruses infect animals, humans, and birds. Human coronaviruses, such as SARS, MERS, and 2019-nCoV cause respiratory distress and even death. The S protein is the infectious agent of the virus.

‘Crude mortality and COVID-19 attributable mortality are found to be significantly higher in men. Being male proved to be an independent risk factor for a 62% increased risk of COVID-19 associated death in an analysis adjusted for various factors.’

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Gender differences in SARS-CoV-2 infections has been evident in many studies.

To collect clinical data from the pandemic, the international multicenter Lean European Open Survey on SARS-CoV-2-Infected Patients (LEOSS) registry was established and sponsored by the German Society of Infectious Diseases (DGI) aiming to provide the scientists and doctors with reliable clinical data.

In this study, the authors present a first analysis of the LEOSS dataset on the impact of sex in COVID-19. They retrospectively analyzed 3,129 adult patients with COVID-19, enrolled between March and July 2020.

Clinical demonstration of COVID-19 was described in four phases: uncomplicated (asymptomatic/mild symptoms), complicated (need for oxygen supplementation), critical (need for critical care) and recovery.

Symptoms, vital signs, inflammatory markers and therapeutic interventions were analyzed.

The male:female ratio in the hospital-based cohort was 1.48 with a male predominance in all age groups. Male predominance was even more pronounced in the age groups of 75 and 65 years.

Mean CCI and most comorbidities did not differ significantly between men and women, while coronary artery disease and smoking rates were found higher in male patients than in female patients.

Men are more prone to progress to critical phases of COVID-19 and have higher death rates as well as more frequent ICU admissions and longer hospital stays, that are all associated with higher inflammatory parameters during all stages of COVID-19, the study reveals.

“We need further studies on what exactly makes men more vulnerable to COVID-19. We do not yet know which biological or possibly social factors lead to these marked differences, “concludes Dr Hanses.

Source-Medindia