As the pandemic continues to spread across borders, oceans, and continents, a perplexing data shows that more men than women are dying from the coronavirus. Some claim that it is because of their behavior, such as higher rates of tobacco consumption, reluctance to proper and timely medical care, and even lower rates of hand-washing.
But a new study shows that it is more than that. The higher rates among men are most likely because of their biology- particularly their testicles.
Men are more likely to die of the virus than women
The coronavirus appears to pose a particular threat to middle-aged and older people, specifically men. According to the new study, coronavirus could harbor in men's testicles for longer periods than the rest of the body as they are walled from the immune system making men more at-risk for severe cases.
Previous reports from the New York Times have suggested that although men and women are infected roughly in equal numbers, men are found to be more likely to die than women, with a death rate of 2.8% in men and 1.7% among women.
The figures are drawn from medical records of patients but may not be enough to fully reflect the scope of the pandemic. However, the difference in the death rate of the two sexes has already been seen in the past.
Even during the SARS and MERS outbreaks which were also caused by different types of coronaviruses, it was found out that men were also disproportionately affected. The study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine said that in Hong Kong, where more women are infected by SARS in 2003, however the death rate among men was 50% higher.
Scientists say that some of the factors that may be working against men may be rooted in lifestyle, and some are biological.
Testicles may be serving as "reservoirs" for the virus
Researchers tracked the recovery of 68 men from Mumbai, India-which has taken a worse toll on men- to study the gender disparity of the virus, reported by the New York Post.
It was discovered that the virus attaches itself to a protein that is found in high levels in the testicles said by the mother and daughter duo, Dr. Jayanthi Shastri, a microbiologist at the Kasturba Hospital for Infectious Diseases in Mumbai, and Dr. Aditi Shastri, an oncologist at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.
This protein is known as ACE-2 which is mostly present in the lungs, the gastrointestinal tract and the heart, and large quantities in the testicles. According to the study, since testicles are separated from the immune system, the virus could live there for longer periods than any part of the body.
On average, female patients are cleared of the virus after four days, but men saw recoveries two days longer than women. The researchers said that this could explain why women tend to recover from the disease more quickly than men.
They also said that their observations demonstrate that male patients have delayed viral clearance and that their testicles may be serving as "reservoirs" for the virus. In conclusion, the new study shows that the coronavirus could linger in the testicles, making men more at risk to severe cases of the virus.
