Addressing higher burden of SARS-COV-2 infection in men

Covid-19: Spiking a focus on men's health.
Wittert G, McLachlan R.
Obes Res Clin Pract. 2020 Jul-Aug;14(4):293-294. doi: 10.1016/j.orcp.2020.08.004.
Contact: Prof Gary Wittert

In their editorial, Professor Gary Wittert (FCMHW SA Division) and Professor Robert McLachlan (Healthy Male) addresses the plausible and also speculative explanations that have been proposed for the sex-related differences in mortality and other outcomes, after infection with SARS-COV-2. For example, rather than testosterone being primarily responsible for the higher burden of disease in men, it is highlighted that it is the changes in sex steroid physiology that are secondary to chronic disease prevalent in men that disproportionately affect men, that is likely to be responsible.

SARS-COV-2 serves to once again focus on the iniquitous states of health between men and women, and the need for research on the reasons for sex related disparities in disease. The authors discourages the temptation “to distil men’s health down to a single chromosome, testosterone, or misconceived stereotypes about gender”