A new report suggests females experience significantly different symptoms than males in the weeks and months following a COVID-19 infection.
The new research, published last month as a pre-proof in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, found that among the first 108 patients to the Mayo Clinic’s Post-COVID-19 Care Clinic in Minnesota, 75 per cent of them were females.
Those who have post-COVID syndrome, also referred to as COVID-19 “long-haulers,” are COVID-19 patients that experience symptoms of the infection for much longer than the typical one or two weeks.
Among the females, post-COVID patients experienced symptoms of fatigue, muscle pain and low blood pressure, while the males primarily experienced shortness of breath.
Of the 81 females studied, 72 per cent reported fatigue as their primary symptom, while 58 per cent of the 27 males reported shortness of breath.
Overall, 57 per cent of the patients showed a rise in interleukin three months after their COVID-19 infection. Interleukin is a protein that the immune system releases to fight disease, but can also lead to inflammation.
Most men did not show the same interleukin levels as the women, the study reported.
The researchers suggest that this information will help doctors to better diagnose post-COVID syndrome by understanding the differences between men and women.
“Knowledge of these (traits) and the insights gleaned from the clinical data reported in this report may help in defining etiology and treatment options for(post-COVID syndrome),” the report states.
