Apa itu antigen rapid test: women more likely than men to have Long COVID

Apa itu antigen rapid test: women more likely than men to have Long COVID

Over time, several follow-up studies validated the earlier observations. Men are not only more likely than women to test positive for COVID-19, they are also more likely to be admitted to intensive care and ultimately die.

Some studies have hypothesized that psychosocial and behavioral factors can largely explain this gender-based difference in COVID-19 impact. However, other researchers have pointed to some fundamental biological differences that may account for the increased severity of acute illness in men.

The new study interestingly flips those previous findings. While men may be more likely to experience severe acute illness, women appear to be more likely to suffer from persistent long-term symptoms of COVID-19.

By tracking thousands of published studies covering more than 1 million patients, the new study found that women are 22 percent more likely than men to develop long-term COVID-19. Meanwhile, the study found that long-term COVID-19 symptoms differed slightly between men and women.

"In patients who experienced prolonged COVID-19 syndrome, ENT, gastroenterology, psychiatric/mood, dermatology, neurology and other complications (primarily rheumatic complications and fatigue)," the researchers noted in the new study. were significantly more likely in female patients, and endocrine and renal complications were significantly more likely in male patients."

As with previous studies investigating gender-based differences in COVID-19, it is unclear whether these observations are underpinned by biological or social factors. The study notes that several social and cultural factors may play a role in this difference.

The researchers hypothesized that women's more dominant occupations, such as nursing or teaching, may have made their exposure to the virus more likely to lead to long-term Covid-19. Or there may be gender-based differences in access to acute care, leading to more long-term consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Biological differences between men and women may also play a role in gender differences in long-term COVID-19. The researchers hypothesized that the immune response that protects women from acute illness may also be responsible for amplifying the long-term Covid-19 advantage.

"Differences in immune system function between women and men may be an important driver of gender differences in long-term COVID-19 syndrome," the study explained. "Women's innate and adaptive immune responses are more rapid and robust, which protects them from immunity. affected by the initial infection and severity. Yet this same difference can make women more susceptible to long-term autoimmune-related disease."

Perhaps the biggest problem highlighted in the new study is the lack of sex-disaggregated data in current COVID-19 research. The vast majority of published work reviewed in the new study did not provide gender data for their cohorts.

The lack of gender-specific data in COVID-19 research likely hinders the ability to understand the disease and develop more effective treatments, the researchers noted. The study concludes by calling for a greater focus on gender-specific data in future published studies.

The researchers concluded: "The lack of studies reporting gender-disaggregated COVID-19 outcomes illustrates the need for further large-scale studies that incorporate gender as an analytical variable and report data by sex. Use gender-specific approaches to develop basic research and clinical trials The protocol's primary goal of prospectively assessing all aspects of COVID-19 by gender will fill critical information gaps. A thorough understanding of how biological gender affects COVID-19 will have important implications for clinical management and mitigation strategies for this disease. "