According to a recent study, men and women develop different types of immune responses to coronavirus. However, that of women could be stronger than that of men. This could explain why the latter are more affected by severe forms of the disease.
According to Professor Akiko Iwasaki of Yale University (United States), women and men react differently to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. The results published in the journal Nature on August 26, 2020 evoke different types of immune responses depending on gender. There is talk of a possible increased susceptibility of men to this disease and therefore, greater exposure to serious forms.
Studies show a more intense action of T cells in women. Remember that these T lymphocytes represent a category of leukocytes that play a major role in the secondary immune response. The women examined in the study could develop a stronger response from these lymphocytes, even when they were older. In contrast, men at the same early stage of infection produce more cytokines overall. than women. Previous research has shown that excessive production of these cytokines is synonymous with a runaway immune system. However, these "cytokine storms" are linked to severe forms of the disease.
For Professor Akiko Iwasaki, men therefore have a poorer response from T lymphocytes and this represents an aggravating factor for the disease . Moreover, the older the men, the lower the response. On the women's side, those with a high level of cytokine were the same ones whose infection worsened afterwards. The results of the study could make it possible to differentiate treatments according to gender . For men, it could be to improve the T-cell response with the help of future vaccines. For women, the best would be to block the cytokine response.
This study nevertheless has its limits. First of all, it was conducted on a small number of volunteers, namely 17 men and 22 women . These people must not have been placed in intensive care or have received treatment that has an effect on the immune system. We should also mention the presence of 59 other individuals not meeting these criteria in order to benefit from a larger sample.
In addition, the average age of volunteers is 60 years old. However, in a Science Media Center publication, immunologist Eleanor Riley of the University of Edinburgh (UK) explains that some differences have been observed not because of gender, but rather according to age or the Body Mass Index (BMI).
She also mentioned that despite some differences, many men and women have similar immune responses. The immunologist believes that in the future, there should be an adaptation of treatments , but that it would be on a case-by-case basis rather than a gender differentiation.
