An Italian research identifies a cause that would explain why men infected with Covid-19 get worse more easily than women.

However, I would like to make an important clarification on the data collected by the study, conducted by the Campus Bio-Medico of Rome with the collaboration of the La Sapienza University.

Does COVID-19 Really Affect Men More?

In fact, the study reads in the first line that men are more exposed to Covid-19 infection, that is, that the percentage of sick people is more male than female.

In reality, looking at the percentages of infected males and females by country, at the moment the percentage stands at 50% for both sexes, however, considering all age groups ( source ).

The researchers have in fact extrapolated the data of greater infectivity for men from the first studies conducted in China. And in fact the countries of Southeast Asia show a greater number of cases for men.

However, now that the epidemic has become a pandemic, looking at the data as a whole, the male cases are no longer overwhelming compared to the female one as regards infections.

However, if we look at the lethality rate, it is confirmed that it is higher for men than for women. Always considering that the Eastern countries are those in which men die the most.

In the West, this difference is less noticeable, and stands at a few percentage points of difference.

COVID-19, the hormonal hypothesis

Having made this necessary premise, let’s see what the Italian study , published in the Metabolism Journal , says .

The hypothesis of the researchers is that there is a hormonal factor to take into account. And in particular, testosterone.

That is, researchers identify low testosterone levels as a risk factor for complications from Covid-19, for example the onset of interstitial pneumonia. This link is explained by the correlation between low testosterone levels and increased cytokine production. Cytokines are inflammatory molecules of the immune system that play a crucial role in the development of Covid-19

At the same time, however, there are also data linking high testosterone levels to an increased susceptibility to Covid-19 infection.

Here the explanation focuses on the expression of a gene, TMPRSS2, a protein that the virus needs to enter cells and which at the same time is regulated by testosterone.

See also: Coronavirus, metabolic and intestinal risk factors.