The coronavirus may infect anyone, young or old, but older men are up to twice as likely to become severely sick and to die as women of the same age.
The first study to look at immune response by sex has turned up a clue as to why: men produce a weaker immune response to the virus than women do, the researchers concluded.
But over time, an immune system in a constant state of high alert can be harmful. Most autoimmune diseases, characterised by an overly strong immune response, are much more prevalent in women than in men, for example. Prof Iwasaki’s team analysed immune responses in 17 men and 22 women who were admitted to the hospital soon after they were infected with the coronavirus. The researchers collected blood, nasopharyngeal swabs, saliva, urine and stool from the patients every three to seven days.
Men showed much weaker activation of T-cells, and that lag was linked to how sick the men became. The older the men, the weaker their T-cell responses.“If you look at the ones that really failed to make T-cells, they were the ones who did worse with disease.”But “women who are older - even very old, like 90 years old - these women are still making pretty good, decent immune response,” she added.
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