Sex-related differences in clinical presentation of COVID-19

Abstract

Background: Due to AIDS, Ebola and Zika epidemies, United Nations elaborate an analysis inform with recommendations for an effective response for future health crisis. One of the main recommendations is the importance of the gender perspective as a structural basis in all crisis policies, including research. This fact demonstrates it is key that information accuracy should be based on research segregated by sex and age. However, to date, in the COVID-19 pandemic is not following these indications, research segregated by sex is being a minority. Consequently, it is already unclear if there are sex-related differences in clinical presentation of COVID-19 or even if these differences vary depending on age. It is currently known that the period highly infectiousness of COVID-19 is during the first week with symptoms. Studying sex-related differences in symptom of COVID-19 during the first week with illness is not only key to containing the pandemic, but also not further magnifying social differences that the COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating day by day. Objective: We want to study main differences between females and males in clinical presentation of COVID-19: symptoms and recognizable signs by the patient) and its distribution in the first week with symptoms. As a secondary objective, we are going to study if differences in clinical presentation between sex in the first 7 days of symptomatology, could be influenced by age. Design: This study will be an observational prospective cohort study. Participants: In our study we will include people with symptoms of COVID-19 who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on quantitative polymerase-chain-reaction assay (PCR) or on rapid antigen test. Data collection and analysis: A non-probabilistic consecutive sampling method will be used for data collection. We will assess the association between the dependent variables and sex by means of logistic regressions, controlling for the covariates