Sex-Based Differences in Outcomes of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Korea.
Jiyoung Kim, Narae Heo, Hyuncheol Kang
PMID 35933023WHAT IT FOUND
Among 5624 Korean COVID-19 patients, men had higher in-hospital mortality than women.
Age, low lymphocytes, diabetes, dementia, dyspnea, and ICU admission were associated with death, with some sex-specific differences.
Key findings
01Male patients had a 5.5% in-hospital mortality rate, compared with 3.5% for female patients.
02Among all patients, older age, high heart rate, low lymphocyte count and platelets, rhinorrhea, dyspnea, confusion, diabetes mellitus, malignancy, dementia, and ICU admission were factors influencing mortality.
03Factors linked to worse clinical severity also differed by sex, including severe obesity and rheumatic disease in men, and chronic kidney disease, malignancy, and chronic liver disease in women.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This is a retrospective observational study, so it shows associations with death and severity, not that any factor caused them. The data were from confirmed COVID-19 patients in Korea who were released or died by April 30, 2020, so they may not apply to other countries, later virus strains, vaccine details, or treatment information. The clinical severity score was modified from 8 stages to 4 stages without validity verification. The raw data had 5628 patients and 5624 were analyzed after excluding those with missing values. The study could not analyze diagnostic tests, medications, lifestyle factors, vaccine details, or treatment information because the data were retrospective. The authors note that heart rate was significant but most participants had normal heart rates, and sex-specific findings need verification in larger studies. Death was defined as in-hospital mortality, so outcomes after discharge were not measured.
Declared interests
No external funding; authors declare no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the sex-based mortality difference as proof that being male causes worse outcomes. This was an observational cohort, and the study did not test whether any intervention changes those outcomes.