Dataset Information

Sex and Gender Differences in Testing, Hospital Admission, Clinical Presentation, and Drivers of Severe Outcomes From COVID-19.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Males experience increased severity of illness and mortality from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) compared with females, but the mechanisms of male susceptibility are unclear.

Methods

We performed a retrospective cohort analysis of SARS-CoV-2 testing and admission data at 5 hospitals in the Maryland/Washington DC area. Using age-stratified logistic regression models, we quantified the impact of male sex on the risk of the composite outcome of severe disease or death (World Health Organization score 5-8) and tested the impact of demographics, comorbidities, health behaviors, and laboratory inflammatory markers on the sex effect.

Results

Among 213 175 SARS-CoV-2 tests, despite similar positivity rates, males in age strata between 18 and 74 years were more frequently hospitalized. For the 2626 hospitalized individuals, clinical inflammatory markers (interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, ferritin, absolute lymphocyte count, and neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio) were more favorable for females than males (P < .001). Among 18-49-year-olds, male sex carried a higher risk of severe outcomes, both early (odds ratio [OR], 3.01; 95% CI, 1.75 to 5.18) and at peak illness during hospitalization (OR, 2.58; 95% CI, 1.78 to 3.74). Despite multiple differences in demographics, presentation features, comorbidities, and health behaviors, these variables did not change the association of male sex with severe disease. Only clinical inflammatory marker values modified the sex effect, reducing the OR for severe outcomes in males aged 18-49 years to 1.81 (95% CI, 1.00 to 3.26) early and 1.39 (95% CI, 0.93 to 2.08) at peak illness.

Conclusions

Higher inflammatory laboratory test values were associated with increased risk of severe coronavirus disease 2019 for males. A sex-specific inflammatory response to SARS-CoV-2 infection may underlie the sex differences in outcomes.

SUBMITTER: Scully EP

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8465334 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BackgroundStudies examining gender-based differences in outcomes of patients experiencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest have demonstrated that, despite a higher likelihood of return of spontaneous circulation, women do not have higher survival.MethodsPatients successfully resuscitated from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest enrolled in the CCC trial (Trial of Continuous or Interrupted Chest Compressions during CPR) were included. Hierarchical multivariable logistic regression models were constructed to evaluate the association between gender and survival after adjustment for age, gender, cardiac arrest rhythm, witnessed status, bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation, episode location, epinephrine dose, emergency medical services response time, and duration of resuscitation. Do not resuscitate (DNR) and withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy (WLST) order status were used to assess whether differences in postresuscitation outcomes were modified by baseline prognosis. The analysis was replicated among ALPS trial (Amiodarone, Lidocaine, or Placebo in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest) participants.ResultsAmong 4875 successfully resuscitated patients, 1825 (37.4%) were women and 3050 (62.6%) were men. Women were older (67.5 versus 65.3 years), received less bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (49.1% versus 54.9%), and had a lower proportion of cardiac arrests that were witnessed (55.1% versus 64.5%) or had shockable rhythm (24.3% versus 44.6%, P<0.001 for all). A significantly higher proportion of women received DNR orders (35.7% versus 32.1%, P=0.009) and had WLST (32.8% versus 29.8%, P=0.03). Discharge survival was significantly lower in women (22.5% versus 36.3%, P<0.001; adjusted odds ratio, 0.78 [95% CI, 0.66-0.93]; P=0.005). The association between gender and survival to discharge was modified by DNR and WLST order status such that women had significantly reduced survival to discharge among patients who were not designated DNR (31.3% versus 49.9%, P=0.005; adjusted odds ratio, 0.74 [95% CI, 0.60-0.91]) or did not have WLST (32.3% versus 50.7%, P=0.002; adjusted odds ratio, 0.73 [95% CI, 0.60-0.89]). In contrast, no gender difference in survival was noted among patients receiving a DNR order (6.7% versus 7.4%, P=0.90) or had WLST (2.8% versus 2.4%, P=0.93). Consistent patterns of association between gender and postresuscitation outcomes were observed in the secondary cohort.ConclusionsAmong patients resuscitated after experiencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, discharge survival was significantly lower in women than in men, especially among patients considered to have a favorable prognosis.