A key European enzyme that infects cells is found in higher levels in men’s blood, according to a large European study that may explain why men have particularly severe symptoms of Covid-19 disease.

coronavirus pandemic

The number of people infected with the coronavirus in the world already exceeds three million, more than two hundred thousand have lost their lives to the disease and the economic impact of the epidemic is invaluable. We try to inform our readers about everything, stay tuned, read our series of articles.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is mainly present in the lungs, but is also found in the heart, kidneys, and especially the testicles. The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus enters the cell by binding to the ACE2 receptor, which is expressed on the surface of the cells to be infected.

Professor Adriaan Voors and colleagues at the Groningen University Medical Center (UMCG) in Groningen, The Netherlands studied ACE2 levels in the blood of more than 3,500 cardiac patients from 11 European countries. The study started before the pandemic, so there were no subjects with Covid-19 disease. However, when recent studies revealed that ACE2 plays a key role in delivering SARS-CoV-2 to cells, Voors and colleagues saw a new opportunity in their study.

“When we realized that one of the strongest biomarkers, ACE2 levels are much higher in men than women, I realized that this may explain why men are more likely to die from Covid-19 than women”. said Iziah Sama, co-author of the study.

Experts say the presence of ACE2 in the testicles may partly explain why men have higher levels of the enzyme and men are more vulnerable to Covid-19.

the European Heart Journal The authors of the study, published in the journal, also found that widely used ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) did not increase ACE2 levels, meaning that taking the products did not increase the risk of Covid-19. These types of medications are commonly prescribed for congestive heart failure, diabetes, and kidney disease. According to Voors, their results do not justify the need to suspend ACE inhibitors in patients with Covid-19.

If you want to know similar things at other times, you will like the HVG Tech Facebook page, which also presents scientific results.



The coronavirus is the greatest crisis of our time, in which it is literally vital to discover it from an authentic source. At HVG, we are committed to this mission even in this situation: to provide accurate, objective and independent information to our readers.

Support our work to bring you up-to-date information even in difficult circumstances.

The coronavirus is the greatest crisis of our time, in which it is literally vital to discover it from an authentic source. At HVG, we are committed to this mission even in this situation: to provide accurate, objective and independent information to our readers.

Support our work to bring you up-to-date information even in difficult circumstances.

->