High enzyme levels make men more vulnerable to COVID-19, report says

A new study has found that the level of a key enzyme used by the coronavirus to infect cells is higher in the blood of men than women.

The study, published Monday by the European Heart Journal, comes amid reports that the number of deaths from the virus in men is higher than that in women. In China, 2.8% of men infected with Covid-19 have died, compared to 1.7% of women. In Italy, 7.2% of men infected with the virus died, while the death rate for women was 4.1%.

The report found that men have more angiotensin-2 converting enzyme (ACE2), a key cell-surface receptor that binds to the coronavirus and allows it to enter and to infect cells.

Other research has found th at the highest death rate in men is attributed to several factors, such as behavioral, immunological, hormonal and genetic factors. Men are also more likely to use alcohol and tobacco than women, who are known to affect the disease.