Coronavirus - gender gap in immunology

biomedicool:

Emerging statistics suggest that men are at least 60% more likely to die from COVID-19 than women - but why?

An analysis of coronavirus cases released by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention puts the death rate among men at 2.8%, compared with 1.7% among women.  

Italian health authorities also reported (x) that men accounted for 58% of all cases and 72% of deaths. Hospitalised men with COVID-19 were 75% more likely to die than hospitalised women.

Why?

• Smoking - In China in particular, more than 50% of men smoke, compared to around 2% of women. 
• However - even in young patients and children, who are less likely to have smoked for long enough to cause damage, the death rate is still higher for males.

Gender differences in immunology

“For years, immunologists only studied male mammals because the complexity of female hormones muddied their findings” (quote)

• The female immune system is stronger than the male in terms of fighting off infection
• However, this makes females more susceptible to autoimmune disorders such as IBS.

There is also evidence to suggest the strength of attack launched by the female immune system is what causes so much damage in conditions like emphysema and lung cancer.

• When activated by stress or allergens, female mast cells release more inflammatory substances, which can provoke a more aggressive immune response such as anaphylaxis
• Mast cells isolated from females also make and store more inflammatory substances – histamine, serotonin and proteases – than mast cells from males. 
• The immune system is also important for regulating the growth of cancer cells, which may be a major reason why men have higher rates of death from cancer.