Immunity, Sex Hormones, and Environmental Factors as Determinants of COVID-19 Disparity in Women.
Front Immunol
; 12: 680845, 2021.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1394757
ABSTRACT
The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has resulted in a major global pandemic, causing extreme morbidity and mortality. Few studies appear to suggest a significant impact of gender in morbidity and mortality, where men are reported at a higher risk than women. The infectivity, transmissibility, and varying degree of disease manifestation (mild, modest, and severe) in population studies reinforce the importance of a number of genetic and epigenetic factors, in the context of immune response and gender. The present review dwells on several contributing factors such as a stronger innate immune response, estrogen, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 gene, and microbiota, which impart greater resistance to the SARS-CoV-2 infection and disease progression in women. In addition, the underlying importance of associated microbiota and certain environmental factors in gender-based disparity pertaining to the mortality and morbidity due to COVID-19 in women has also been addressed.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Gonadal Steroid Hormones
/
Healthcare Disparities
/
SARS-CoV-2
/
COVID-19
/
Immunity, Innate
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
English
Journal:
Front Immunol
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Fimmu.2021.680845
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