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Male sex identified by global COVID-19 meta-analysis as a risk factor for death and ITU admission

Medicine and Health

Male sex identified by global COVID-19 meta-analysis as a risk factor for death and ITU admission

H. Peckham, N. M. D. Gruijter, et al.

This groundbreaking meta-analysis reveals a concerning global trend in COVID-19 outcomes – while infection rates are similar between sexes, males are nearly three times more likely to require intensive treatment and face greater odds of death compared to females. Insights from this research conducted by Hannah Peckham, Nina M de Gruijter, Charles Raine, Anna Radziszewska, Coziana Ciurtin, Lucy R Wedderburn, Elizabeth C Rosser, Kate Webb, and Claire T Deakin could significantly impact clinical practices and health strategies worldwide.

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~3 min • Beginner • English
Abstract
Anecdotal evidence suggests that Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, exhibits differences in morbidity and mortality between sexes. Here, we present a meta-analysis of 3,111,714 reported global cases to demonstrate that, whilst there is no difference in the proportion of males and females with confirmed COVID-19, male patients have almost three times the odds of requiring intensive treatment unit (ITU) admission (OR = 2.84; 95% CI = 2.06, 3.92) and higher odds of death (OR = 1.39; 95% CI = 1.31, 1.47) compared to females. With few exceptions, the sex bias observed in COVID-19 is a worldwide phenomenon. An appreciation of how sex is influencing COVID-19 outcomes will have important implications for clinical management and mitigation strategies for this disease.
Publisher
Nature Communications
Published On
Dec 09, 2020
Authors
Hannah Peckham, Nina M de Gruijter, Charles Raine, Anna Radziszewska, Coziana Ciurtin, Lucy R Wedderburn, Elizabeth C Rosser, Kate Webb, Claire T Deakin
Tags
COVID-19
gender differences
intensive treatment
mortality rates
sex bias
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