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Coronavirus UK cases: Scientists discover deciding factors for why men are more at risk

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COVID-19 cases of death in the UK now sits at a staggering 53,274 with a further 1.43 million infection cases. Scientists have discovered why men are more prevalent to severe infections and possibly even death as opposed to women when it comes to COVID-19.

Alarming research has found that gender is a major deciding factor in the fight against COVID-19.

In mid-February, the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention analysed 72,000 patient samples, finding that men were more likely to die compared to women when diagnosed with the virus.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that 63 percent of deaths related to COVID-19 in Europe have been among men.

In a study published in Frontiers Public Health, gender differences in patients with COVID-19 was further investigated. 

The study noted: “Older age and a high number of comorbidities were associated with higher severity and mortality in patients with COVID-19.

“Age was comparable between men and women in all data sets. In the case series, however, men’s cases tended to be more serious than women.

“The percentage of males were higher in the deceased group than in the survived group.”

The study concluded that while men and women have the same prevalence, men with COVID-19 are more at risk for worse outcomes and death, independent of age.

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Another study from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that boys are slightly more likely than girls to get COVID-19.

Yet this conclusion is unreliable.

Susan Hassig, an epidemiologist at Tulane University School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine said: “Because of the way the study was conducted, it’s impossible to tell whether their sample reflects reality.

“I am not aware of any biologic factors that would make boys at more risk of coronavirus infection than girls.”

Researchers from Yale University revealed clues in the differences between males and females when it comes to a COVID-19 infection.

The team found that men and women may need separate types of vaccines and treatments due to the different ways the virus affects the body.

It was revealed that men may be more likely to suffer severe cases of a COVID-19 infection or even death as they have weaker immune responses.

The reason behind this may be due to men’s poorer production of a certain type of immune cell which kills the virus and helps fight off inflammation.

Girls and women’s stronger immune systems are largely due to genetics and sex hormones.

Females have two copies of the X chromosome, which contains many immune related genes while males only have one.

Oestrogen is obviously more abundant in women, which boosts the immune system, but testosterone slightly suppresses it.

That’s why some doctors are running trials in which they treat male COVID-19 patients with oestrogen and progesterone, another sex hormone higher in women.

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