Data indicates that the coronavirus may have varying effects on men and women. We delve into why—be it lifestyle habits, unemployment rates, family pressures and the unique immune response of oestrogen
The coronavirus pandemic has brought dozens of social issues into sharp focus, from income inequality to the limitations of healthcare systems. As the total number of cases continues to increase, researchers are also looking at another aspect of the outbreak: how Covid-19 impacts men and women differently.
Early evidence shows that more men than women are dying from the disease. A recent study on patients treated in Wuhan, China, where the first Covid-19 case was detected, showed that the number of men who died was 2.4 times more than that of women.
Interestingly, a similar trend was seen in the data from the 2003 outbreak of Sars, which also belonged to the coronavirus family. In Hong Kong, for example, 21.9 percent of men with Sars died compared with 13.2 percent of women.
But is this due to the biological differences between men and women? Or are social, economic and lifestyle factors at play? We take a closer look.
See also: Opinion: Mourning The Loss Of Normalcy During The COVID-19 Pandemic
Biology
Scientists say one of the reasons for sex differences in mortality rates in Covid-19 patients could be immunity. A recent research paper from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan found that in the most severe cases among the 331 Covid-19 patients it studied, the women had a higher level of antibodies than the men.
In a different study on oestrogen, it is found that the primary female sex hormone may have an effect on a protein called angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which is said to be used by the coronavirus as an entry route into cells. We still don’t fully understand the intricate workings of oestrogen, but there is evidence that it can contribute to an early immune response to help fight a viral infection. A clinical trial to test this hypothesis has begun in the US, overseen by the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University in New York.