Why women are less likely to die from coronavirus than men

The death toll from the new type of coronavirus is growing, and there is more and more evidence that the disease in men is more severe and often ends in death. This was noticeable from the first days of the outbreak of the virus in China and is repeated in other countries, for example, Italy, USA, Spain. Researchers are not yet sure of the reasons, but there are interesting preliminary findings.

What can affect mortality

1. Biological differences

Male and female organisms fight infections differently. Women usually have a stronger immune response. Scientists believe this is partly due to the presence of two X-chromosomes. This chromosome contains most of the genes responsible for the immune system. However, this overactive immune system appears to be associated with a higher risk of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease.

Hormones can also play an important role. Some immune cells have receptors for estrogen (the female sex hormone), and experiments have shown that estrogen supplementation in mice enhances the overall immune response.

In 2017, researchers analyzed the difference in susceptibility to the first SARS coronavirus (from which more men than women died during the 2003 outbreak). They found that male mice were more susceptible to the virus. But when scientists blocked the normal work of estrogen in females, they also began to get sick more often.

The female body as a whole reacts faster to infections. Therefore, later he does not have to use the full power of the immune system to fight the virus and the inflammation is reduced. However, such differences are not typical for all infections. Data on other viruses, including the causative agent of influenza, show the opposite trend: more women die than men.

In general, scientists do not yet fully understand exactly how biological gender differences affect the course of COVID-19, but they clearly may be important.

2. Behavioral factors

Smoking can be one of them. An analysis of existing studies from March 17 concluded that "smoking is highly likely to be associated with the negative course and poor outcome of COVID-19." There are several reasons for this, as noted by the WHO. First, people who smoke are more likely to have lung disease, and this is a proven risk factor for severe infection. Second, when smoking, people are more likely to touch their face, increasing their chances of getting infected.

And as you know, smoking is more common among men. According to a 2017 study, 54% of Chinese adults are addicted to tobacco and only 2.6% of Chinese women. A similar trend is observed in Spain and the United States, although the gap is far from wide.

Other differences in behavior between people of different genders can make the situation worse. For example, in the United States, men wash their hands less often than women and are less likely to seek medical help at the onset of the disease. A poll by Reuters in late March also showed that fewer men are taking the coronavirus threat seriously and are changing their behavior.

Why it is so important to understand these differences

This will help find the most effective treatment for each patient, as well as create a working vaccine. It is known that such drugs affect people of different sex in different ways. Women are usually better protected from infection after vaccination. Therefore, it is extremely important to consider gender when creating and testing a product.

While men seem to die from coronavirus more often, keep in mind that everyone is at risk. And because of some factors, women are at greater risk. For example, in the United States, they make up 76% of medical personnel, which means they are more likely to come into contact with those infected.

The risk also increases with age. According to the Italian government, in the group of patients over 90, the mortality rate is higher in women. The same is true in the group with certain diseases: heart failure, hypertension, dementia. There, the death toll of women exceeds the death toll of men with the same diseases, although the overall figures are small.

We still have a lot to learn about why some people end up in intensive care and die, while others don't. And we must still try to reduce our chances of getting sick or infecting others.