Corona: that’s Why men develop heavier COVID-19 than women Naturopathy naturopathy specialist portal

COVID-19: Two-thirds of all the deceased are men

Several studies showed that significantly more men than women in the disease COVID-19 (by the Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2) die. It was assumed so far, a connection with the Smoking, because Smoking has a great influence on the respiratory tract, and significantly more men smoke than women. A German research team discovered a further possible factor of influence on a cellular level.

Around two-thirds of all people who die in the course of a COVID-19-disease are men. This was very early among the first Affected in Wuhan. The reasons for this are not yet understood sufficiently. Researchers of the German center for lung research (DZL) have discovered a possible reason for this connection, which is independent from the lifestyle. The results of your research presented by the scientists in the “EMBO Journal”.

Lung cancer research helps COVID-19-education

A Team led by Professor Roland Eils, the research normally, the causes for lung cancer-diseases, discovered on the basis of the cellular findings on the lung a possible cause or a possible influencing factor, why many more men than women are hard to COVID-19 fall ill and die. Here, the so-called ACE2-Receptor plays a key role.

In the research work should actually be found out, why some people who have never smoked to lung cancer. For this purpose, the researchers compared the ends of the lung tissue of non-smokers with and without lung cancer. While the Coronavirus pandemic, the researchers remembered to this not-yet-published data. “I was convinced that the data that we have collected from Coronavirus infected patients, contain important information to the understanding of the viral infection,” explains Professor Eils.

Which cells are preferably infected by SARS-CoV-2?

“We wanted to know which cells are exactly is it that infests the Coronavirus,” adds Professor Christian Conrad from the research team. Through the findings, the Team has collected the virologist Professor Dr. Christian Drosten about the Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, it was known that the Virus binds the ACE2 Receptor on cells. In addition, the Virus require one or more Cofactors, which help him to enter into the cells. The Team of Eils have now found out that cells are particularly vulnerable and why.

To 60,000 individual cells sequenced

“We have a total of can studied almost 60,000 cells to see if they have switches on the genes for the Receptor and any Cofactors, and thus, in principle, from a Coronavirus-infected,” explains study first author Soeren Lukassen. In the analysis it came out that, particularly in the bronchi progenitor cells for the receptors binds made, to which the Coronavirus. These precursor cells develop largely to cells in the respiratory tract, particularly to the cells, the hairs with your flicker for mucus and bacteria out of the lungs to be transported.

Gender and age the ACE-2 density affect

At this point a possible explanation for why more men are more likely to develop deadly and serious COVID-19-gradients as a women opens up. Because the researchers discovered as an incidental finding from the study is that men have a higher ACE-2-Rezepordichte than women. In addition, also showed that the ACE-2-Rezepordichte with age in General is increasing. “It was just a Trend, but it could explain why more men than women are infected,” says Professor Eils. In addition, this is also a possible factor influencing why children are not so strong and the elderly more due to the Virus risk.

Definitive proof is yet to

“For a verifiable statement of our case numbers, however, are still much too low – in this investigation, we need to repeat in larger cohorts of Patients,“ says Eils. The studies have shown, however, that the Virus is very targeted, and specific cells in the body is instructed to spread out and multiply. Now the Team of Eils is to examine the Diseased in the next step, to COVID-19-whether in fact there are these cells that are primarily affected.

Research shows possible approaches for therapies

“With the Knowledge of what cells are attacked, we can develop targeted therapies,” concludes Professor Michael Kreuter of the thorax clinic of Heidelberg University hospital. Prior to this it had to be understood why the infection heals with the Individual quickly, and to fail in other Acute lung developed.

A more recent study in the German Ärtzeblatt also shows that under heavy COVID-19-gradients particularly often, people are represented with respiratory illnesses and Obesity. For more information read the article: Coronavirus: Overweight people are more likely to be artificial respiration.(vb)