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Compiled by Marelize Wilke
The |
Health24
May 12, 2020 04:45
A large study of several thousand patients may reveal why men appear more vulnerable to Covid-19 than women.
The study was published in the European Heart Journal on May 10, 2020 and appeared in a press release. It basically revealed that men have higher concentrations of an enzyme called ACE2 in their blood.
What is the role of ACE2?
In a previous Health24 article, we explained why SARS-Cov-2 is so contagious. It boils down to the proteins in the spikes of the virus that gives it its name, coronavirus, which is derived from the Latin “corona”, which means crown.
These proteins in the spikes successfully bind to a receptor in human cells, called angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Once the virus binds to cells, it begins to multiply within the host, eventually making us sick.
And because men have a higher concentration of this enzyme, it is not surprising that they are much more likely to bear the brunt of Covid-19 than women.
The link between heart failure patients and ACE2
Several previous studies suggested that patients with heart failure, taking medications to attack the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), such as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (BRA) , they may have higher concentrations of ACE2 in blood plasma, increasing their risk of Covid-19. The current study, however, found that this is not the case.
Therefore, patients taking these medications should not stop. Dr. Adriaan Voors, professor of cardiology at the University of Groningen Medical Center in the Netherlands, said in a statement that the study findings indicate that these drugs should not be discontinued, as other recent research may have suggested.
Dr. Voors further stated in the press release: “ACE2 is a receptor on the surface of cells. It binds to the coronavirus and allows it to enter and infect healthy cells after another protein has modified it on the cell surface. Called TMPRSS2. High levels of ACE2 are present in the lungs and are therefore believed to play a crucial role in the progression of Covid-19 related lung disorders. “
Study limitations.
While the study was quite large (1,485 men and 537 women in the first group and 1,123 men and 575 women in the second group), more research is needed.
“The effect of MRAs on ACE2 concentrations is unclear, since the weak increase in concentrations in the validation cohort was not seen in the index cohort. Our findings do not suggest that MRAs should be discontinued in patients with impaired development of Covid-19 “. They are a very effective treatment for heart failure and the hypothetical effects on viral infection must be carefully weighed against their proven benefits, “said Dr. Voors.
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