An Insight Into the Sex Differences in Covid-19 Patients: What Are the Possible Causes? Publisher Pubmed



Maleki Dana P¹ ; Sadoughi F¹ ; Hallajzadeh J² ; Asemi Z¹ ; Mansournia MA³ ; Yousefi B^{4, 5} ; Momenheravi M^{6, 7}
Source: Prehospital and Disaster Medicine Published:2020

Abstract

Studies have reported a sex bias in case fatalities of COVID-19 patients. Moreover, it is observed that men have a higher risk of developing a severe form of the disease compared to women, highlighting the importance of disaggregated data of male and female COVID-19 patients. On the other hand, other factors (eg, hormonal levels and immune functions) also need to be addressed due to the effects of sex differences on the outcomes of COVID-19 patients. An insight into the underlying causes of sex differences in COVID-19 patients may provide an opportunity for better care of the patients or prevention of the disease. The current study reviews the reports concerning with the sex differences in COVID-19 patients. It is explained how sex can affect angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE2), that is a key component for the pathogenesis of COVID-19, and summarized the gender differences in immune responses and how sex hormones are involved in immune processes. Furthermore, the available data about the impact of sex hormones on the immune functions of COVID-19 cases are looked into. © 2020 World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine.