UCT R&I Highlights 2020-21 High res - Flipbook - Page 17
06
COVID-19 IMPACTS
ON MEN
Worldwide, men infected with COVID-19 are three times more likely
to need intensive care, highlighting the need for more research into
how sex differences can impact disease.
After finding that women have better early
antiviral response than men, researchers
from UCT and University College London
(UCL) gathered COVID-19 reports from
global hotspots to study whether this
might give them relative protection from
viral infections.
Their results, published in Nature
Communications, reveal that the men and
women studied had an equal chance of
being infected. Of those infected, however,
men had higher rates of hospitalisation,
and a 40% higher chance of dying from
COVID-19 compared to women.
“We know that men, in general, have
poorer immune responses to many different
infections. Women on the other hand
generally have a stronger immune response
to infections,” said Dr Kate Webb, from
UCT’s Department of Paediatrics and Child
Health, who collaborated on the research.
The findings could help contribute
to vaccine development, and to better
predict who is at risk of severe disease.
They also reveal a gap in the knowledge
landscape that future research projects
could fill.
“The findings should empower researchers
to ask why we see these differences, and
how we can exploit this information in the
fight against COVID-19,” said Webb.
Women have a better
early antiviral response
than men. This might give
them relative protection
from viral infections.
07
ALL-WOMEN TEAM REPORTS
ON CARDIOVASCULAR
DISEASE IN WOMEN
The first global report on the disease among women was presented
by a women-led Lancet commission.
Key findings were presented at the American
College of Cardiology’s 70th Annual
Scientific Session, revealing that 35% of
deaths in women worldwide are attributed
to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Mortality
among young women is also on the rise.
In 2019, 275 million women were
diagnosed with the disease and 8.9 million
women died because of the disease,
according to the report. Despite being the
leading cause of death in women each year,
CVD in women remains under-studied,
under-recognised, under-diagnosed
and under-treated, with women underrepresented in clinical trials.
There are considerable geographical
differences in CVD, with the highest agestandardised prevalence in North Africa and
the Middle East. South American countries
showed the lowest prevalence.
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The report says that evidence of
significant regional trends highlights the
need for improved data collection, at local
and regional levels, to effectively present,
recognise and treat the disease in women.
Authored by 17 experts from 11 countries,
the report included UCT’s acting deputy
dean for research in the Faculty of Health
Sciences, Professor Liesl Zühlke. She was
the only African among the commissioners.
“This commission’s work is both a starting
point and a call to action, to mobilise and
energise healthcare professionals and
policymakers – and women themselves – to
work towards a healthier future,” Zühlke said.
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