Men die more often from coronavirus due to an enzyme in their lungs

According to a new study, one of the reasons, by which men more often die from coronavirus, than women, may be associated with a high level of a particular enzyme in their lungs, which helps the coronavirus to enter the body.

The study, which was attended by more than 3,500 people, was published May 10 in European heart journal. Its results revealed higher concentrations of angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE 2) in men compared with women. Note that all 3,500 people in the sample were elderly people with some degree of heart failure.

None of them were infected with coronavirus at the time of the study. But researchers believe that other studies of how ACE 2 interacts with the virus will help explain the mysterious difference in mortality rates between men and women. Recall that men average 50% more likely to die from coronavirus than women.

ACE 2, found in several organs, including the lungs, binds to coronaviruses (such as the one that causes COVID-19) and allows them to more easily infect healthy cells, according to one study. According to Adrian Wurs, professor of cardiology at the University of Groningen Medical Center in the Netherlands, where the study was conducted, high levels of ACE 2 most likely play a decisive role in the development of lung diseases associated with COVID-19.

But, most likely, this is not the only factor aggravating the situation of men. Doctors note that the male population is also more prone to high blood pressure and diabetes, which make the body more vulnerable. Add to this the fact that men, on average, smoke much more intensively than women, add the habit of not washing their hands before eating – and you will get a holistic picture of how a modern lifestyle puts men’s health on impact.

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