Research finds women more likely than men to suffer from long COVID

Women are far more likely than men to suffer from long COVID, a review, published Tuesday in the journal Current Medical Research and Opinion, stated.

The study led by Shirley Sylvester, senior medical director for women’s health at Johnson & Johnson in New Brunswick, New Jersey in the US included 1.3 million patients, and found women were 22 percent more likely to develop persistent symptoms after a COVID-19 infection than men.

For women, lingering symptoms after a COVID-19 infection included fatigue; ear, nose and throat issues; as well as mood disorders like depression. They also had respiratory symptoms, and neurological, skin, gastrointestinal and rheumatic disorders.

In contrast, men with long COVID were more likely to have endocrine disorders, including diabetes and kidney issues, the study found.

The study also found that patients with diabetes may be up to four times more likely to develop long COVID.

The researchers noted that differences in how men’s and women’s immune systems function could be an important factor.

According to Sylvester and her team, the Omicron variant was less likely than Delta to cause long COVID.