This archive report was first published on 21 April 2020.
Published on April 21, 2020, a study has shed light on the gender disparity of COVID-19, which has caused severe illness in men. Scientists are tracking the recovery of 68 patients in Mumbai and India to determine why men are more susceptible to the virus.
According to Dr. Aditi Shastri, an oncologist at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, and Dr. Jayanthi Shastri, a microbiologist at the Kasturba Hospital for Infectious Diseases in Mumbai, COVID-19 can attach itself to a specific protein produced in high levels in the testicles. This protein, angiotensin, is also found in the lungs, the gastrointestinal tract, and the heart.
The testicles are blocked off from the body's immune system, allowing the virus to remain in the testicles longer than the rest of the body. This may explain why women recover more quickly than men, with an average recovery time of four days compared to men's average recovery time of six days.
The study's findings offer some insight into reports from New York, South Korea, and Italy that men are dying at a higher rate due to the virus. Other reports suggest that men are more likely to contract the virus due to lifestyle factors such as smoking, high blood pressure, or coronary artery disease.
