Coronavirus: Why does Covid-19 seem to be killing more men than women? – Metro.co.uk

Coronavirus has swept the globe (Picture: PA)

Data has suggested that men might be more susceptible not only to catching coronavirus, but to dying from it.

The virus is new, and much research will be needed to understand it fully, but early statistics have begun to indicate that men could be more at risk from Covid-19.

The White Houses coronavirus response coordinator, Dr. Deborah Birx, said at a White House press briefing over two weeks ago: From Italy were seeing another concerning trend. That the mortality in males seems to be twice in every age group of females.

Data put together by Global Health 50/50, with support from CNN, has found that in countries for which they have the necessary data more men than women who have been diagnosed with coronavirus have died.

As the virus continues to spread through countries all over the world, weve taken a closer look at why there could be a gender bias in fatalities.

As you can see from the data in the charts below, a significant number of countries have reported more men than women dying of coronavirus.

Its important to note that this data, which has been collected from the governments of various countries affected by coronavirus, might not be based on the most up-to-date death tolls and confirmed case numbers this is because the numbers can only be updated once sex-disaggregated data is made available.

On top of that, there remains a number of countries for which gender-specific data remains unavailable at the time of writing.

Therefore it may be some time before this trend is confirmed on a wider scale.

However, even with this disclaimer in mind, the trend were presented with so far is compelling.

Read the latest updates:Coronavirus news live

Notably, even in countries like Portugal, France and South Korea where more women than men have been diagnosed, still more men than women have succumbed to the virus at the time of writing.

When it comes to the cause of this, Global Health 50/50 have said it could be down to the fact that men are more likely to have problematic pre-existing conditions and to lead a more risky lifestyle.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

Their website states: Preliminary reports of people with severe COVID-19 disease have found associations with existing co-morbidities including hypertension, cardiovascular disease and some chronic lung diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. These conditions tend to be more burdensome among men globally.

This disease burden may in part be driven by higher levels of risky behaviours, which are consistently found to be more common among men than women worldwide.

For example, rates of drinking and smoking are both much higher in men than women. According to the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death for men in the US and, according to data on the British Heart Foundation website, one in seven men in the UK die from coronary heart disease a year compared to one in 12 women.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

Hormones might also have a part to play in women being more naturally immune to viruses.

Oestrogen has previously been found to boost the antiviral qualities of immune cells, and on top of that, experts have found in the past that the genes that control the immune system are on the X chromosome men have XY sex chromosomes while women have two Xs.

Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Share your views in the comments below.

MORE: Bride prepares to cancel her two 80,000 weddings in Italy as coronavirus continues to ravage the country

MORE: Boris Johnsons pregnant fiancee in bed for a week with coronavirus symptoms

Link:
Coronavirus: Why does Covid-19 seem to be killing more men than women? - Metro.co.uk