COVID-19 kills more men than women. The immune system may be why
With more men than women developing severe illness and dying from COVID-19, sex differences that influence the immune system may offer answers. The bias in COVID-19 deaths appeared in the first reports out of China and has also been revealed in countries that break down their mortality data by sex. Of Italy’s 21,551 deaths recorded as of April 20, 64 percent were men. In Spain, 59 percent of the 12,634 deaths as of April 21 occurred in men. Germany had recorded 4,598 deaths by April 21, with 58 percent in men. The United States does not separate out national COVID-19 mortality by sex, but some states do. New York has the highest number COVID-19 deaths in the country, and as of April 21, 60 percent of 15,302 deaths were in men. Some of that discrepancy could be because men are more likely than women to have other health problems, such as hypertension and diabetes. These are among the underlying conditions that raise...