Gender-specific Covid-19 responses: men show greater physiological changes

The scientists led by Lorenz Risch from the private University of Liechtenstein (UFL) and Inselspital Bern had around 1,100 people wear a wristband with a sensor for the study. KEYSTONE/© KEYSTONE / GAETAN BALLY

Men's skin temperature, heart rate and respiratory rate increase more than women's with Covid-19. According to a study by researchers from Liechtenstein and Switzerland, the higher coronavirus mortality rate among men could be linked to this.

“The results emphasise the importance of taking gender into account in the medical treatment and care of Covid-19 patients,” the researchers wrote in the study, which was published on Wednesday in the journal Plos One.

The scientists led by Lorenz Risch from the private University of Liechtenstein (UFL) and Inselspital Bern had around 1,100 people wear a wristband with a sensor for the study. This sensory bracelet is already used to monitor the female menstrual cycle. It measures, among other things, breathing as well as heart rate and skin temperature.

Comprehensive data set

The study involved recording 1.5 million hours of data – the equivalent of more than 171 years. During the study period, which spanned 2020 and 2021, 127 participants tested positive for Covid-19, 82 of whom had sufficiently high-quality data to be included in the analysis.

According to the analysis, heart rate, respiratory rate and skin temperature not only increased more in men than in women during a coronavirus infection; they also remained at significantly higher levels during the recovery phase.

 Medicine focused on men

“Considering the higher mortality and hospitalisation rates observed in male Covid-19 patients, our results may reflect gender-specific biological responses to the infection,” the researchers wrote in the study. It was therefore possible that female and male bodies not only showed different symptoms, but also reacted biologically differently to an infection.

The researchers emphasised in the study that it was important to take gender differences into account in medicine. “Historically, women have been underrepresented in clinical trials, which has meant that medical solutions have tended to focus on men, increasing the risk to women’s health,” the researchers wrote.

Adapted from German by DeepL/mg/amva

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