Women have more effective immune response to covid-19, study says

Women have a more efficient immune response to the new coronavirus than men. This is the main conclusion of a study conducted by researchers at Yale University in the United States, and published on Wednesday (26) in the scientific journal Nature, one of the most respected in the world.
Conducted by scientists from several countries, including Brazilians, the study analyzed 98 patients (47 men and 51 women), with an average of 60 years, and identified that they developed a more efficient response of T cells, those who stimulate the production of antibodies or directly destroy virus-infected cells, including Sars-CoV-2, preventing the spread of infection. With this, women develop fewer severe cases of covid.
"Men develop more inflammatory responses of cytokines than women at the beginning of covid-19. In addition, they have better immunity to T cells than men," immunologist Akiko Iwasaki, a yale university research leader at Estadão, told Estadão.
Inflammatory responses involve immune system reactions that cause what is known as "cytokine storm" in the body. Roughly speaking, cytokines are proteins that stimulate the immune system. In the study, the scientists realized that they were elevated in all patients with covid-19 compared to those who did not have the disease (control group). "And men had more cytokines than women," Akiko said.
The researchers warned that the severe condition of a disease is not only related to the functioning of the body's defense system. There are hormonal and behavioral differences that can be associated with the most severe conditions. The research seeks to characterize only the immune response of men and women. The study also did not offer a reason for these differences.
Even so, the study offers an important contribution to a scenario that has intrigued scientists since the beginning of the pandemic: older men, over 60, are at higher risk of falling ill and dying than women of the same age. This is reflected in the statistics. Men account for 60% of the world's covid-19 deaths. In the State of São Paulo, the latest epidemiological bulletin shows that among the victims are 16,836 men and 12,358 women.
Although it investigates a relatively small group, in the opinion of virologist Paulo Eduardo Brandão, the study is important in pointing out a certain balance between the sexes in the face of the pandemic. "Men have a lower immune response, but women have higher severity of symptoms. The study is useful for us to think as a species and not just as individuals. There is a balance between the sexes in the face of the effects of the disease", he evaluated.
- Immune system
The development of faster and stronger immune responses among women in the fight against coronavirus may be related to protection against pathogens for pregnancy. On the other hand, an immune system on constant alert can be harmful. Many autoimmune diseases, characterized by a disproportionate immune response, are more prevalent in women.
The efficiency of the female response in relation to the male one prevails even in advanced ages. The older men, the weaker the t-cell responses.
The research findings indicate that men, especially over 60 years of age, will benefit the most when the vaccine is discovered. In practical terms, companies and institutions that seek the immunization against coronavirus may have to consider data by sex in defining the dosage of the vaccine, for example.