Women are more affected than men by persistent symptoms of long Covid, especially those aged 40 to 54.
- The study reveals that women, especially those aged 40 to 54, are more likely to develop persistent symptoms of long Covid than men.
- The risk is even higher in premenopausal women.
- Pregnant women would be less at risk of long Covid thanks to sex hormones.
Women and men are not equal in the face of long Covid, according to a new study published in the journal JAMA Network Open. Researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, USA, found that they had a 31% higher risk of developing persistent symptoms following SARS infection. CoV-2.
A 45% higher risk in premenopausal women aged 40 to 54
“These results show that patients and healthcare teams must take into account the differences in risk of long Covid depending on sex at birth, explains Dimpy Shah, one of the authors of the study, in a press release. Understanding these differences can help us recognize and treat patients with long Covid more effectively.”
To reach this conclusion, the researchers followed 12,276 participants, all infected with Covid-19 at least six months before their registration in the study. They completed questionnaires on their symptoms: feeling unwell after exercise, fatigue, brain fog, dizziness, palpitations, loss or change in sense of smell and/or taste, thirst, chronic cough, chest pain, shortness of breath, snoring or sleep apnea.
Results: Women had a 31% higher risk of developing persistent symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection, compared to men. But three criteria – age, pregnancy and menopause – influence this risk even more.
Indeed, among participants aged 40 to 54, the risk of suffering from long Covid was 42% higher in postmenopausal women and 45% higher in non-menopausal women.
Pregnant women less at risk of long Covid
During their calculations, the scientists chose to include and then exclude pregnant women. Thus, they observed that the excess risk increased when they were not taken into account. “We know that sex hormones modulate immune responses”write the authors in the study to explain that pregnant women are less affected by long Covid.
According to Health Insurance, we speak of long Covid when one or more symptoms persist at least four weeks after the start of Covid-19 infection.
