In men with Corona, the temperature rises more than in women

Skin temperature, heart rate and respiratory rate increase more in men than in women during Covid-19 infection. According to a study by Liechtenstein and Swiss researchers, the higher corona mortality among men could be related to this.

“The results underline the importance of taking gender into account in the medical treatment and care of Covid-19 patients,” the researchers wrote in the study, which was published on Wednesday in the journal ‘Plos One’.

The scientists led by Lorenz Risch from the private university in the Principality of Liechtenstein (UFL) and the Inselspital Bern had about 1,100 people wear a bracelet with a sensor for the study. This sensory bracelet is already used to monitor the female cycle. It measures, among other things, breathing, heart rate and skin temperature.

1.5 million hours of data were recorded – that’s more than 171 years. During the study period, which spanned 2020 and 2021, 127 participants tested positive for COVID-19, of whom 82 had sufficient high-quality data to be included in the analysis.

According to the analysis, men’s heart rate, breathing and skin temperature not only increased more than women’s during a corona infection, but also remained at significantly higher levels during the recovery phase.

“Given the higher mortality and hospitalization rates observed in male Covid-19 patients, our results may reflect sex-specific biological responses to the infection,” the researchers wrote in the study. So it is possible that female and male bodies not only exhibit different symptoms, but also respond biologically differently to an infection.

In the study, the researchers emphasized that it is important to take gender differences into account in medicine. “Historically, women have been underrepresented in clinical trials, resulting in medical solutions that primarily targeted men, increasing the risk to women’s health,” they wrote.

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292203

(sda)