Gender-Based Differences by Age Range in Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19: A Spanish Observational Cohort Study

Area of Science:

• Medical research
• Infectious diseases
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Emerging evidence suggests male gender may negatively impact prognosis and severity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.
• Understanding sex-based differences in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is crucial for patient management and public health strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare demographic, clinical, and treatment characteristics between hospitalized men and women diagnosed with COVID-19.
• To analyze sex-based differences in COVID-19 mortality and intensive care unit (ICU) admission rates across age subgroups.

Main Methods:

• A multicenter, retrospective, observational study utilizing the SEMI-COVID-19 Registry.
• Analysis of 12,063 hospitalized patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, comparing men and women across various variables.
• Multivariate analysis to identify independent prognostic factors for mortality.

Main Results:

• Men (56.8%) showed higher frequencies of bilateral lung condensation, non-invasive and invasive mechanical ventilation, and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
• Men had significantly higher intensive care unit (ICU) admission rates (10% vs. 6.1%) and mortality rates (23.1% vs. 18.9%) compared to women.
• Female sex was independently associated with a lower risk of mortality, particularly in age groups from 55 to 89 years.

Conclusions:

• Male sex is associated with worse progress and is an independent prognostic factor for mortality in COVID-19 patients.
• Further research is needed to explore other factors associated with sex that may influence COVID-19 prognosis.
• These findings highlight the importance of considering sex as a biological variable in the context of COVID-19 patient outcomes.