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RESEARCH PRODUCT
Role of sex and age in fatal outcomes of COVID-19: women and older centenarians are more resilient.
Calogero CarusoGabriella MarconGiulia AccardiAnna AielloAnna CalabròMattia Emanuela LigottiMauro TettamantiClaudio FranceschiCandoregiuseppinasubject
Settore MED/04 - Patologia Generalenarrative reviewOrganic ChemistryCOVID-19General MedicinemortalityCatalysisimmune responsesComputer Science ApplicationsInorganic ChemistryagelongevitysexSpanish fluPhysical and Theoretical ChemistryMolecular BiologySpectroscopyage; COVID-19; immune responses; longevity; mortality; narrative review; sex; Spanish fludescription
In the present paper, we have analysed the role of age and sex in the fatal outcome of COVID-19, as there are conflicting results in the literature. As such, we have answered three controversial questions regarding this aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic: (1) Have women been more resilient than men? (2) Did centenarians die less than the remaining older people? (3) Were older centenarians more resistant to SARS-CoV-2 than younger centenarians? The literature review demonstrated that: (1) it is women who are more resilient, in agreement with data showing that women live longer than men even during severe famines and epidemics; however, there are conflicting data regarding centenarian men; (2) centenarians overall did not die less than remaining older people, likely linked to their frailty; (3) in the first pandemic wave of 2020, centenarians > 101 years old (i.e., born before 1919), but not “younger centenarians”, have been more resilient to COVID-19 and this may be related to the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic, although it is unclear what the mechanisms might be involved.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-01-30 |