BENGALURU: Are women more immune to coronavirus than men? At least the data collected on the total number of patients in Karnataka till Tuesday seems to suggest that. Till date, 366 men have been infected with COVID-19, while only 154 women have contracted the virus. The graph shows a similar trend in Tamil Nadu, where 1,393 men and 665 women are infected, and also in Kerala, where 66.7 percent of the cases are of men. While the exact reasons are not known, doctors said that women generally mount a better immunological response to any disease than men.
“It is a national and global phenomenon and holds true for deaths too. The storm of cytokines, which are small proteins released by the body as a response to Covid-19, is much higher in men that can lead to multiple organ failure or even clotting in blood vessels,” said Dr Murali Chakravarthy, Chairman and Managing Director, Central Infection Prevention and Control Committee, Fortis Hospital. “Women are generally in good health and have lesser comorbidities. As compared to men, a lesser number of women smoke, have diabetes and BP and enjoy longevity.
The XX chromosome is said to be more protective as opposed to the XY chromosome present in men. This response is similar in female animals as well,” he said. The presence of estrogen in women is known to ensure a better blood flow, reducing the risk of heart attack among women.
The hormone also plays an important role in fighting COVID-19. Men, who produce testosterone, suffer clots in lungs and peripheries such as fingertips and toe tips, doctors said. But there are also social aspects to a lesser number of women getting infected, says Dr Pradeep from Nimhans, who is also in the committee to study the epidemiology of corona cases reported in Karnataka.
“Generally, men are more mobile than women. Culturally, in times of crisis, we tend to shelter women, who are generally more comfortable staying at home. But men are not used to being confined at home. Both men and women have the same propensity to acquire the virus, but studies show that sociological factors play a role in Covid-19 infecting more men than women,” he said.