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Men have higher levels of the enzyme ACE2 in their blood, which helps coronary SARS-CoV-2 infect human cells, according to a large European scientific study of thousands of patients, some in Greece. The finding probably explains why many more men worldwide than women are seriously ill with Covid-19 and die from the disease.
The researchers, led by professor of cardiology Adrian Wors of the University of Groningen Medical Center, who published the article in the European Heart Journal of the European Society of Cardiology, analyzed samples from two groups of patients in 11 countries with heart failure. The first group included 1,485 men and 537 women, while the second group included 1,123 men and 575 women. The mean age of the participants was 69 for men and 75 for women in the first group and 74 and 76, respectively, in the second. Professor Gerasimos Filippatos from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Athens (head of the Heart Failure Unit, University Hospital “Attikon”) and the Faculty of Medicine from the University of Cyprus participated in the study.
Research shows that patients with heart failure who take ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme type 2) inhibitors or antagonists do not have higher levels of ACE2 in their blood, so they are no more at risk than the coronavirus. “Our findings do not support discontinuation of these medications in patients with heart failure and Covid-19, as previously reported,” said Dr. Vaors.
Located on the surface of human cells, the ACE2 receptor binds to the coronary artery and allows it to enter and infect them. High levels of ACE2 are present in the lungs and are believed to play a critical role in the worsening of Covid-19.
The new study looked at ACE2 levels only in blood plasma and not in tissues like the lungs. Furthermore, their findings are limited to patients with heart failure and not generally to all Covid-19 patients.
Source: RES-EIA
