Men who get COVID-19 wind up in the hospital more often than women, and they are nearly two and a half times more likely to die from it, yet men also tend to discount the need for masks and other protective measures.
Experts still have a lot to learn about men and COVID-19, but the whys and hows of its heightened impact on men are coming into sharper focus as they learn more about the disease. We talked to five health care providers about what might put men at higher risk and what they need to do about it.
“When asked if they wear masks or practice social distancing, more men than women say no. Why? That’s complicated. One factor could relate to masculinity and social influence on men’s attitudes and behavior. For example, men are socialized to suppress negative emotions and maintain a ‘strong’ outward appearance. If a man strongly identifies with these definitions of ‘manliness’ or masculinity, then wearing a mask or avoiding large gatherings may seem to him to be a sign of fear and weakness.
We don’t completely understand why, but much of it is likely due to differences in hormones and an enzyme called ACE2. The hormone estrogen may give women a protective edge, but men only have a very small amount of estrogen. Men may also have higher concentrations of ACE2. This enzyme binds with what’s called a spike protein contained in the virus, which allows COVID-19 to more easily get into the lungs.
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