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Scientists are still trying to understand why some people infected with the coronavirus develop only mild symptoms, while others become seriously ill and die. One of them could be the high concentration of a specific enzyme that is found in various organs in the body.
Genes make it more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection
Scientists are still investigating whether ACE2 variants could play an important role in the process of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. The ACE2 gene is responsible for encoding the protein – angiotensin 2 converting enzyme. on the surface of the epithelial cells of the alveoli, epithelial cells of the mucosa of the small intestine, and also in other cells of the body.
The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus proteins bind to the human ACE2 receptor causing infection. The receptor may be used by the viral particle to enter the host cell. According to one study, the reason men die more often from coronavirus infection is due to higher levels of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 in the lungs.
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Men more prone to severe COVID-19 and death
The study, published in the European Heart Journal, included 3500 people. Researchers found higher levels of the ACE2 enzyme in the lungs of men than women. The size of the studied sample was selective – all subjects were elderly and had heart failure. None of the study participants were infected with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. However, the authors of the study believe that this and other studies on how ACE2 interacts with the coronavirus could explain the difference in male and female mortality.
Adriaan Voors, professor of cardiology at the Medical University of Groningen in the Netherlands, told the European Society of Cardiology: High levels of ACE2 occur in the lungs, so it is believed to play a key role in the development of COVID-19 in the lungs.
The second author of the study, Iziah Sama, found that when one of the strongest biomarkers, ACE2, was found to be higher in men than in women, he realized that this could explain why men are more likely to die from COVID-19 than women.
Another study, conducted in six different countries, found that men are at risk of dying from severe COVID-19 by 50 percent. more than women. However, this difference is not so significant all over the world – in South Korea men die less often than women, and in New York they constitute a small majority.
This is another theory as to why men are more prone to severe COVID-19. We wrote about the earlier ones:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus in Women. Scientists suggest that women are more dangerous carriers of the coronavirus
- Kernels and Coronavirus – Is There a Link?
- Are women more resistant to the coronavirus?
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