Coronavirus Hits Men Harder, What Scientists Know About It
'Coronavirus hits men harder. Here's what scientists know about it.' The early evidence leaves little doubt that Covid-19 poses a greater risk to men – but are the reasons biological or cultural? The Guardian, April 7, 2020. EXCERPTS:
..It’s no secret that males are in many respects the frailer sex. On average, men die younger and are at more risk of life-threatening ailments, especially heart disease and many forms of cancer. The Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus seems to follow the same pattern. In all six of the countries that, up to 20 March, had sex-specific records of deaths from Covid-19, the proportion of men was higher than women. For four of those (China, France, Italy and South Korea), male mortality rates were more than 50% greater than female rates.
..It’s best not to place too much trust in the exact figures: some of the data could be skewed by differences in the extent of testing, and how deaths are recorded and reported. But there seems good reason to trust the general trend: this coronavirus hits men harder. We don’t know why – but it doesn’t necessarily reflect differences in biology. Covid-19 is more dangerous for people with existing health issues, particularly cardiovascular or pulmonary (lung-obstructing) problems or hypertension – and these are all conditions that disproportionately affect men.
..Part of the reason for that is behavioural: on average, men indulge in more health-damaging habits such as smoking and drinking. Smoking is particularly suspected to cause the higher risk in men: in South Korea, where the ratio of male to female Covid-19 deaths is close to 2:1, the male smoking rate is the highest of all OECD countries, while the female smoking rate is the lowest. It’s possible that other differences in behaviour also play a part – for example, compliance with handwashing advice.
..Yet biological differences could well be involved too. Men have weaker immune systems and so are more susceptible to a range of infectious diseases, such as those caused by bacteria. One potential explanation is that sex hormones, which differ in men and women, are involved in the way the immune system triggers an inflammatory response to pathogens...
More, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/07/coronavirus-hits-men-harder-evidence-risk