Female and male bodies would react differently to the coronavirus pandemic. According to the latest scientific studies, women are less likely to develop serious forms, but are more often affected by long forms of the disease.
According to a study published on June 20 in “ Current Medical Research and Opinion “, men would have a greater risk of developing a severe form of Covid than women. On the other hand, women would be more affected by long forms of Covid.
“We had already observed differences between men and women during previous epidemics of coronavirus, so it was foreseeable that there would also be some with SARS-CoV-2, responsible for Covid-19 “, explain the authors in their report.
Verdict: the symptoms experienced during the acute phase of Covid were not the same for men and women. They had a greater probability of developing psychiatric symptoms (+80% compared to men) and pain in the ears, nose or throat (+42%) or muscles (+15%). For their part, men developed kidney problems more frequently than women.
In addition and above all: the probability of developing a long Covid was 22% higher in women compared to men. As in the acute phase, women more often had problems with the ears, nose and throat, as well as psychiatric and neurological disorders. They were also more likely to have digestive system and skin damage, as well as fatigue.
« Differences in immune system function in women and men could be the reason for the differences seen in long Covid, add the authors of the study. Women activate more quickly and more robustly an innate and adaptive immune response, which protects them more against infection and severe forms of Covid. However, this same response can make them more vulnerable to prolonged autoimmune diseases. »
Differences that would probably be linked to hormonal differences, especially from menopause.