Jahnavi Sarma
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The Ministry said the recovery rate in the country has improved to 40.32 per cent.
If we look around, most data shows that men are more susceptible to fatal COVID-19 complications. Several studies also reveal that men are more vulnerable to COVID-19 infection. Researchers have been scratching their heads over this phenomenon and some have also put forward many theories as to why this may be happening. Now a new research that focusses on thousands of patients show that men have higher concentrations of the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in their blood than women. This molecule enables the novel coronavirus to infect healthy cells in men.
According to researchers from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, this may be the reason why men are more vulnerable to COVID-19 than women. The European Heart Journal published this study. During the course of the study, researchers also saw that heart failure patients who were on medication targeting the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), such as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), did not have higher concentrations of ACE2 in their blood. But they were quick to clarify that this does not mean that one should discontinue the use of these drugs in COVID-19 patients.
Other studies have shown that RAAS inhibitors may increase concentrations of ACE2 in plasma, which is the liquid part of blood. This may increase the risk of COVID-19 for people with cardiovascular disease on these drugs. But the aforementioned study suggests that this may not be the case. However, researchers do concede that they looked only at ACE2 concentrations in plasma, not in tissues such as lung tissue. They say that ACE2 is a receptor on the surface of cells. It binds to the coronavirus and allows it to enter and infect healthy cells after it has been modified by another protein on the surface of the cell, called TMPRSS2. "High levels of ACE2 are present in the lungs and, therefore, it may play a crucial role in the progression of lung disorders because of COVID-19," said the researchers.
The research team assessed many factors that may play a role in ACE2 concentrations. They looked at use of ACE inhibitors, history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and coronary artery by-pass graft. As the study progressed, they found that male sex was the strongest predictor of elevated ACE2 concentrations. This is the case not only in the lungs, but also the heart, kidneys and the tissues lining blood vessels. These are particularly present in very high levels in the testes. These findings led them to believe that the regulation of ACE2 in the testes may partially explain higher ACE2 concentrations in men, and why men are more vulnerable to COVID-19.
Almost all data till date suggest that men are more like to get the infection and have more severe complications from COVID-19. They are also more likely to succumb to the viral disease. In fact, a study published in Frontiers in Public Health say that men are more than twice as likely to die from the disease as compared to women. At the same time, researchers of another study published at the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine say that men over 50 years of age with non-communicable chronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes and coronary heart disease are at greater risk of death from the novel coronavirus.