W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Immunol Rev. 2022 Aug;309(1):86-89. doi: 10.1111/imr.13111. Epub 2022 Jun 20.
After more than 20 years of studying sex differences in viral pathogenesis and immunity to vaccines, the COVID-19 pandemic provided me with a unique opportunity to raise awareness about biological sex differences. The scientific community and public, alike, embraced the clinical and epidemiological data and supported inquiries into how males are twice as likely to be hospitalized and die from COVID-19. Immunological changes associated with pregnancy also contribute to worse outcomes from COVID-19. Collectively, we are finding that inflammation is a critical mediator of worse outcomes for males and pregnant females. The pandemic gave me a platform to discuss and address sex differences on a bigger stage, but two decades of studies working with other viruses prepared me for this moment in history.
在研究病毒发病机制和疫苗免疫的性别差异超过 20 年后，COVID-19 大流行为我提供了一个独特的机会，让我提高对生物学性别差异的认识。科学界和公众都接受了临床和流行病学数据，并支持对男性患 COVID-19 住院和死亡的风险是女性两倍的原因进行调查。与怀孕相关的免疫变化也导致 COVID-19 的预后更差。总的来说，我们发现炎症是导致男性和孕妇预后更差的关键介质。大流行给了我一个在更大的舞台上讨论和解决性别差异的平台，但与其他病毒合作的二十年研究为我在历史上的这一刻做好了准备。
