Covid-19 long haulers are most likely women, studies suggest

Women are reportedly struggling with “long-haul” Covid-19 symptoms more than men, according to the experts quoted in the Lily (published by the Washington Post).

Covid-19 long haulers are the individuals who suffer from one or two persistent symptoms of the virus for months.

Ryan Hurt, the lead researcher at the Mayo Clinic on post-Covid-19 syndrome, told The Lily that he had examined 20,000 Covid-19 positive individuals who had been hospitalised after infection. 10 per cent of those cases had long-haul symptoms. And, 60 per cent to 80 per cent of those patients were women.

This is in line with the findings of Diana Berrent, the founder of Survivor Corps, a group for Covid-19 long-haulers. She stated that her group has 1,50,000 members — 82 per cent are women and 18 per cent are men.

Also read:Researchers suggest ways to cope with long term Covid-19 symptoms

Hurt believes that the difference observed between women and men suffering long-haul symptoms could be related to the immune system.

According to The Lily report, “aside from biology, there may be deep sociological or cultural underpinnings accounting for the split — simply that women may be more willing to seek medical attention and speak openly about symptoms, especially those affiliated with mood and cognitive issues.”

Earlier studies have suggested that men are more likely to suffer from the severe symptoms of Covid-19.

The researchers from the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in the US had indicated that female sex hormone estrogen plays an important role in lowering the level of angiotensin-converting enzyme2 (ACE2) in the heart. This may mitigate the severity of Covid-19 in women. The study was published in the journal Current Hypertension Reports.