Men with lower levels of these activated T-cells were more likely to have severe disease. In addition to sex differences in cytokine levels, the authors also found sex differences in the function of immune cells.Д¬ompared to men, women had a higher number of T cells вЂ“ essential for eliminating the virus вЂ“ that were activated, primed and ready to respond to the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Females with SARS-CoV-2 are better prepared to eliminate the virus This can lead to tissue damage, shock and potentially the failure of multiple organs. In severe cases of COVID-19, fluid builds up in the lungs, reducing the oxygen available in the body for normal functions. Higher quantities of these cytokines are linked to more severe disease. Men showed higher levels of cytokines that trigger inflammation, like IL-8 and IL-18, than women. The authors of the Nature report observed sex differences in the strength of the cytokine response. But large quantities of these molecules can severely damage the body. The levels of these signals rise and fall to provide an adequate response to fight an invading pathogen.

The blood samples were analyzed for a variety of cytokines вЂ“ some of the first signaling molecules that help immune cells respond to pathogens. However, the authors identified major sex differences during the early immune response that occurs soon after someone is infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Males with SARS-CoV-2 show greater inflammation There were also no differences in antibody levels вЂ“ a signal the body had identified the virus вЂ“ detected in infected men and women. Similar to CDC data on infection rates, no sex difference in the concentration of virus or the amount of virus present was observed in either the nasal swab or the saliva. These samples were used to better understand what the immune response to the infection looks like and how it differs in people with more severe disease. This study examined samples including nasal swabs, saliva, and blood, which were either collected from healthy individuals or COVID-19 patients.

The risk of death from COVID-19 in men of some age groups may be twice that of their female peers. I find it interesting that higher death rates in men also occurred in other coronavirus diseases like severe acute respiratory syndrome, caused by SARS-CoV, and Middle East respiratory syndrome. In fact, one study revealed that men are 2.4 times more likely to die from COVID-19. For example, reports of SARS-CoV-2 infection rates are similar between males and females, but male sex is a significant risk factor for more serious COVID-19 disease and death. These findings may apply to other respiratory viruses like SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. But are these more severe symptoms and outcomes unique to cold and flu?ДЄs a respiratory toxicologist and researcher investigating sex differences in the respiratory system, I was intrigued to read a recent study on sex-specific responses to COVID-19 that suggest that men are, actually, more vulnerable and suffer more from this disease. Laboratory tests with animals infected with the influenza virus also underscore that there are sex-based differences in immune response that influence outcomes observed in humans. In these studies, males were sick longer, with more severe symptoms and had a weaker response to vaccination. If you ask most women about how their male relatives, partners and friends respond to being sick, theyвЂ™ll often tell you with an accompanying eye roll, вЂњHeвЂ™s such a baby.вЂќ вЂњHeвЂ™s extra whiny.вЂќ Or вЂњhe exaggerates so much.вЂќ But there may be a biological explanation for this behavior.Дubbed the вЂњman flu,вЂќ this phenomenon has been validated in a review of previously published, large epidemiological studies, as well as in studies of influenza in animals.

Symbol for female as a response