The coronavirus affects men more severely than women. A new large-scale study discovers a factor likely to play a role: the protein ACE2.
Previous studies have also pointed to the relationship between ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2) and Covid-19, but now it appears that men have a higher concentration of it in their body. The UMC Groningen researchers, led by professor of cardiology Adriaan Voors, examined the protein before the outbreak of Covid-19 using blood samples from over 3,500 patients with heart problems from eleven European countries.
When it became known that ACE2 partly helped the virus to enter body cells, the scientists reviewed their research results. “We found that the level of the protein ACE2 in the blood of men was much higher than that of women,” Dr. Iziah Sama told Reuters news agency. “That could be an indication of why men die from Covid-19 more often than women.”
The researchers found that ACE2 occurs not only in the lungs, but also in the heart, kidneys, tissue around the blood vessels, and in the testicles. The presence of the protein in the testicles would explain why men have more of it in their body and are therefore more affected by the coronavirus.
Sources): HLN
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