Sex differences in the clinical outcomes of COVID-19
It is widely acknowledged that the clinical outcomes of COVID-19 differ between males and females. However, the underlying reasons for this are unknown. On 26 August 2020, a novel study published in Nature revealed that COVID-19 male patients had elevated plasma levels of innate immune cytokines such as IL-18 and IL-8, as well as more intense stimulation of non-classical monocytes. Female patients, on the other hand, had significantly stronger T cell stimulation than male patients, which persisted in older age. Researchers also discovered that a poor T cell response had a negative impact on patients' ages and was associated to worse disease outcomes in male patients but not in female patients. In contrast, increased innate immune cytokines in female patients were associated with worse disease progression, but not in male patients. The importance of this study is that it provides a possible explanation for observed sex biases in COVID-19 progression, as male patients are more like...