According to a Lancet study, researchers found that men are at higher risk of early Covid death as compared to women.
Men are at higher risk of early death than women, but women tend to face more poor health in their lifetime due to several reasons.
This comprehensive study analyzed the data spanning from 1990 to 2021 and examined the prevalence of various health condition in both the genders and factors causing premature death.
Researchers published their findings in the Lancet Public Health Journal.
According to the study, while men are usually affected by conditions such as Covid-19, road traffic accidents, heart diseases, women suffer from severe form of non-fatal diseases, including headache, lower back pain and mental health problems.
Overall, Covid-19 was the leading cause of health loss in 2021, with males experiencing 45% more health loss from Covid-19 than females (3,978 vs 2,211 age-standardized Disability-Adjusted Life Years per 100,000).
Luisa Sorio Flor, Assistant Professor, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME)
Some of the serious issues female deals with, are lower back pain (especially in places like South Asia, and some parts of Europe and Asia) and mental health conditions. These problems begins when women are teenagers and continues throughout their lives.
So, women experience more years of poor health and discomfort due to such chronic conditions due to their longer life expectancy than men.
While Covid-19 disproportionately affected men in all over the word, the gap was widest in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America.
To address these concerns, the researchers emphasized on the importance of strategies that recognize health challenges faces by both males and females.
Historically, the focus on women’s health has been largely focused on sexual and reproductive concerns, which, although crucial, do not encompass the full spectrum of health issues affecting females throughout the life course.
Luisa Sorio Flor, Assistant Professor, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME)
The finding highlights that there are clear health differences between women and men.
The study emphasized on the importance of creating health policies that consider these differences based on sex and age using specific data.
Additionally, the researchers suggests that it is essential to keep supporting the studies that pays attention to gender issues.
(Input from various media sources)
(Rehash/Dr. Pragati Priya/MSM)
