Men may be more prone to coronavirus than women, Chinese study finds

Researchers also say early diagnosis is important, as illness can lead to complications and organ failure

They studied the cases of nearly 100 patients treated at a hospital in Wuhan, where the outbreak started

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The coronavirus has been spreading rapidly since it emerged in Wuhan last month. Photo: AP

Published: 10:06pm, 30 Jan 2020Updated: 6:56pm, 15 Feb 2020

Men appear to be more susceptible than women to the new coronavirus that emerged in central China last month, according to a study of 99 patients treated in Wuhan, where the outbreak began.

The study – published in The Lancet on Wednesday – was carried out by a team of doctors at Wuhan’s Jinyintan Hospital, which has handled a number of coronavirus patients, along with researchers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Ruijin Hospital in Shanghai.

The finding was in line with earlier observations that men with underlying health problems were more prone to the virus, but the latest study was based on a bigger sample size.

It also warned that early identification and treatment of the pneumonia-like illness was important, since many patients went on to suffer complications and organ failure.

The virus has killed 170 people and sickened more than 7,800 in China so far, with dozens more cases confirmed elsewhere, including in the United States, Japan, Thailand and Germany.

The researchers based the study on 99 patients – 67 men and 32 women – admitted to the Wuhan hospital from January 1 to 20. It found that almost half of them were infected in clusters, though Chinese health authorities only confirmed that cases were being transmitted between humans on January 21.