Journal
JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
Volume 33, Issue 1, Pages 38-44Publisher
JAPAN EPIDEMIOLOGICAL ASSOC
DOI: 10.2188/jea.JE20220056
Keywords
COVID-19; infectious disease; sex; priority; age
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The aim of this study was to compare the impact of sex and age on the severity of COVID-19, and the results showed that the risk for men was equivalent to being 11.2 years older than women. Sex difference has a significant impact on the severity of COVID-19, and therefore, more attention should be paid to predict the risk of COVID-19 severity and formulate public health policy accordingly.
Background: Prioritization for novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related health policies usually considers age and certain other characteristics, but sex is rarely included, despite the higher risk of severe disease in men. The aim of this study was to compare the impact of sex and age on the severity of COVID-19 by estimating the age difference in years for which the risk for men versus women is the same.Methods: We analyzed 23,414 Japanese COVID-19 inpatients aged 20-89 years (13,360 men and 10,054 women). We graded the severity of COVID-19 (0 to 5) according to the most intensive treatment required during hospitalization. The risk of grade 2/3/4/5 (non-invasive positive pressure ventilation/invasive mechanical ventilation/extracorporeal membrane oxygenation/ death), grade 3/4/5, and separately grade 5 was analyzed using a multiple logistic regression model.Results: The odds ratio (OR) of grades 2/3/4/5, 3/4/5 (primary outcome), and 5 for men relative to women was 2.76 (95% CI, 2.44-3.12), 2.78 (95% CI, 2.42-3.19), and 2.60 (95% CI, 2.23-3.03), respectively, after adjustment for age and date of admission. These risks for men were equivalent to those for women 14.1 (95% CI, 12.3-15.8), 11.2 (95% CI, 9.7-12.8), and 7.5 (95% CI, 6.3-8.7) years older, respectively.Conclusion: The risks of worse COVID-19 prognosis (grades 3/4/5) in men were equivalent to those of women 11.2 years older. Reanalyzing data extracted from four previous studies also revealed a large impact of sex difference on the severity of COVID-19. We should pay more attention to sex differences to predict the risk of COVID-19 severity and to formulate public health policy accordingly.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available