Nature: Women may have a stronger immune response to the new coronavirus than men, according to new research.

August 27, 2020 //--- From the early days of the COVID-19 epidemic, it became clear that men, especially older men, had a much higher risk of dying from the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 than women of similar ages, but scientists have not been able to determine the exact cause.
in a new study, researchers from research institutions such as Yale University in the United States explored the immune response of men and women to SARS-CoV-2 infections and offered new insights into why men are more likely to develop severe COVID-19.
results were published online August 26, 2020 in the journal Nature under the title "Sexs difference in immune responses that underlie COVID-19 disease outcomes".
photo from Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain.
authors note that globally, men account for about 60 percent of COVID-19 deaths, and examine whether differences in immune responses may explain this.
men and women do have different types of immune responses to COVID-19," said Akiko Iwasaki, a professor at Yale University and lead author of the paper.
these differences may lead to increased susceptivity in men.
" the authors collected nasal, saliva, and blood samples from controlled subjects who had never been infected and in COVID-19 patients treated at Yale-New Blackrhed Hospital in the United States.
they then monitored the patients to observe their immune response.
the authors found that women produce a stronger immune response involving T-cells, a type of white blood cell that identifies viruses and eliminates them.
they found that this stronger immune response was observed even in older women.
, older men have weaker T-cell activity--- the older they get, the weaker the T-cell response.
, men also produce more cytokines, inflammatory proteins that form another part of the body's natural immune defenses.
, however, severe cases of COVID-19 are associated with so-called "cytokine storms", which can be harmful and potentially fatal when the immune system goes into a state of overspeed.
study found that men who showed high concentrations of cytokines early on were more likely to develop serious diseases, while women who also showed significant cytokine levels also appeared to be worse off.
, according to the authors, this could mean that men and women need different treatments.
Iwasaki said that for men, "we should use vaccines to enhance their T-cell response" and for women, treatment could be given to suppress cytokine responses in their bodies.
treatment is different? However, the study has its limitations.
, the sample size was relatively small, with a total of 98 patients.
, the average age of patients is also higher, around the age of sixty.
Commenting on the study, Eleanor Riley, a professor at the University of Edinburgh in the UK, said some of the differences identified in the study were "most likely due to age or body mass index (BMI), and once these other factors are taken into account, the gender differences disappear."
," she said, other differences could have been "accidental."
, she adds, "It is important that while the average response may be different for men and women, there is a clear overlap in most measurements between men and women, which means that many women's reactions are indesominable from many men's."
," Riley says, which is why treatments are tailored to individuals and work better, not just gender.
(bioon.com) Reference: 1.Takehiro Takahashi et al. Sex differences in immune responses that underlie COVID-19 disease outcomes. Nature, 2020, doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2700-3.2.Women may mount COVID-19 immune response.