Are females tougher than males, or are men always hankering after mother’s generous embrace? Oscar Wilde remarked “Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth”. Medical News and Life Sciences had a more serious take when they wondered why men are more susceptible to COVID-19.
Are Men More Susceptible to COVID-19 And Why?
Dr. Sanchari Sinha Dutta was curious enough to conduct a literature survey of related research. In a nut shell, she concluded men are not crybabies in this particular regard. They are actually at greater risk due to genetic, immunological, lifestyle and behavioral factors.
GENETIC WEAKNESSES
Asian men have more effective ACE-2 receptors, which open the door to the coronavirus increasing the infection rate. Dutta suspects this may be a genetic factor that extends to other males too.
IMMUNE RESPONSE
Women, on the other hand have a higher immune response to viral and bacterial infection than men, Dutta continues. She ponders whether this is because they have two X chromosomes, instead of one in the case of males.
After all, the X chromosome does play an important role in the immunity response. Women also have ability to produce more antibodies after influenza vaccinations. Could women be tougher because of genetic, immunological, lifestyle and behavioral factors too?
Do Lifestyle Factors Tip The Scales?
Dutta confirms men have a relatively higher rate of smoking and alcohol consumption globally than women. Moreover, they are also generally more prone to high-risk behaviors than women, and this further increases their chances of a COVID-19 infection.
She closes by remarking men are proportionally over-represented in transportation, food processing, delivery, construction, and manufacturing occupations. She says studies have shown those occupations are also at higher risk of severe COVID-19 and mortality.
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