TLDR Men are more likely to have severe respiratory viral infections like COVID-19 due to hormonal and genetic differences, while women generally have stronger immune responses.
This scoping review examines the immunological differences between genders in respiratory viral infections, including COVID-19, and suggests that males are more likely to experience severe disease due to factors like hormone levels, androgen receptors, and gene variants. Estrogen appears to play a key role in the stronger immune response observed in females, influencing cellular and humoral immunity, and potentially reducing the severity of infections. A meta-analysis of 33,970 patients showed that men had a 1.5 times higher incidence of venous thromboembolic events than women among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Women were found to have better T cell activation, which correlates with less severe disease outcomes. The review also discusses the potential benefits of vitamin D supplementation and hormone replacement therapy in managing COVID-19. It concludes that sex hormones significantly modulate immune responses, leading to gender-based differences in susceptibility and outcomes of respiratory viral infections, and calls for further research to inform vaccine development and treatment strategies.
11 citations
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May 2021 in “Journal of Medical Virology” Men are more likely to have severe respiratory viral infections like COVID-19 due to hormonal and genetic differences, while women generally have stronger immune responses.
121 citations
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November 2020 in “Endocrine” Male hormones like testosterone may make COVID-19 worse, and testing for sensitivity to these hormones could help predict how severe a patient's symptoms might be. Treatments that reduce these hormones are being explored.
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August 2020 in “Advances in respiratory medicine” Old age, male sex, smoking, and obesity may affect COVID-19 severity, but more research is needed.
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August 2020 in “Frontiers in Immunology” Men generally have more severe COVID-19 cases and higher death rates than women due to biological differences.
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December 2021 in “Physiological Research” Men, particularly those with hair loss, are more likely to get the virus, and those with prostate cancer may have milder symptoms. Testosterone's role in the disease is unclear, and the virus doesn't seem to harm male fertility. Women with PCOS might be at higher risk. More research is needed.
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September 2020 in “International Journal of Molecular Sciences” New treatments are needed for PCOS that target its genetic, hormonal, and metabolic causes.
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August 2020 in “Frontiers in Immunology” Men generally have more severe COVID-19 cases and higher death rates than women due to biological differences.
