Coronavirus symptoms are more severe for men than for women, studies find. Here’s why

Men are more likely to get severe symptoms from coronavirus than women, and therefore are more likely to die from COVID-19, according to researchers in the U.S. and China.

An analysis done by researchers in Shenzhen, China, found that men were 2.5 times more likely to experience severe symptoms than women, Forbes reported. The study, published Monday in The Lancet, also discovered that while children were less likely to have severe symptoms, they were infected with coronavirus at the same rate as adults, according to Forbes.

Out of 391 confirmed cases in Shenzhen, the majority — about 91% — were classified as either mild or moderate, while only 9% of cases were rated as severe, according to the study. Most of the confirmed cases exhibited a fever, but 6% of them had no symptoms at all, the study says.

The odds of someone having more severe symptoms increased if the patient was a man or age 60 to 69 years old, according to the study.

In a separate analysis of 5,700 coronavirus patients, just over 60% of those hospitalized in New York City were men, Live Science reported.

Of the 373 patients who were admitted to intensive care units, just over 66% were men, according to the study that appeared April 22 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Live Science reported.

Those results were consistent with other hard-hit countries, Live Science reported. Men made up 51% to 66.7% of hospitalized patients in Wuhan, China, and 58% in Italy, according to Live Science.

Globally, 70% all coronavirus-related deaths were men, Live Science reported.

Why do men get more severe symptoms?

A study published earlier this month by the Western Journal of Emergency Medicine found that testosterone, the male sex hormone, had an adverse effect on “immune system response and engagement, resulting in a less robust immunologic response in” men, the study says. This adverse effect increases the severity of symptoms and the chances of death in men, according to the study.

The study also found that the X chromosome carries the most “immune-related” genes, researchers said. Women have two X chromosomes, while men only have one, which might contribute to women’s stronger immune response, according to the study.

Other than biological differences, the study indicated that behavioral and cultural factors also influence the severity of symptoms in men. Culturally, men are more likely to smoke than women in China, Italy and the U.S., according to the study.

Additionally, because women are placed in the role of caregiver more often, they tend to focus more on the health of their families and themselves, the study says. Men are also “more likely to engage in health-related risks,” according to the study.

This story was originally published April 28, 2020 at 9:47 PM with the headline "Coronavirus symptoms are more severe for men than for women, studies find. Here’s why."