Experts recently told The Lily (published by The Washington Post) that women are reporting more symptoms of “long-lasting” COVID-19, raising questions about how the virus affects women and men.
Context
Some patients with COVID-19 suffer from symptoms for weeks, if not months, after diagnosis. These patients are called “long-haulers”. Some of the long-distance symptoms include exhaustion, shortness of breath, headaches, rapid heartbeat, changes in taste and smell and cerebral fog, among other symptoms.
What’s new?
Ryan Hurt, the chief researcher at the Mayo Clinic on post-COVID-19 syndrome, told The Lily that he saw 20,000 positive cases of COVID-19 in his hospital. In total, 10% of these cases had symptoms of long distance. And 60% to 80% of these patients were women.
- Likewise, Diana Berrent, the founder of Survivor Corps, a group of COVID-19 long-haulers, said her group has 150,000 members – 82% are women and 18% are men.
Hurt said he is not sure why there may be a difference between women and men who suffer from long-distance symptoms, but it may be related to the immune system.
- Per The Lily; “In addition to biology, there may be deep sociological or cultural bases responsible for the division – simply because women may be more willing to seek medical attention and speak openly about symptoms, especially those related to mood and cognitive issues.”
What about men?
Research has shown that men also deal with COVID-19 differently. For example, a December study suggested that men with COVID-19 are three times more likely to need intensive care, according to MedicalExpress. Men are also at increased risk of dying from the new coronavirus.
- “This data can help doctors recognize that sex is a risk factor for serious illnesses in the treatment of patients,” said co-author Kate Webb at the time, according to Newsweek.
- “Sex is an underreported variable in many studies and this is a reminder that it is an important factor to consider in research,” said Webb, Newsweek.