COVID-19 in Africa: an ovarian victory?
| Autor: | Frank Ntiakoh, Bernard Gyan, Helena Yeboah, Meshach Asare-Werehene, David Adu Kwabena, Afrakoma Afriyie-Asante, Osman Adamu Dufailu |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Male
0301 basic medicine medicine.medical_specialty medicine.drug_class Pro-inflammation cytokine Physiology Review 03 medical and health sciences COVID-19 Testing Sex Factors 0302 clinical medicine Pharmacotherapy Pandemic Humans Medicine 030212 general & internal medicine Mortality business.industry SARS-CoV-2 Incidence Incidence (epidemiology) Public health Mortality rate Ovary Obstetrics and Gynecology COVID-19 Estrogens Gynecology and obstetrics Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress medicine.disease Estrogen Race Factors COVID-19 Drug Treatment Black or African American 030104 developmental biology Oncology Africa Etiology RG1-991 Female Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 Cytokine Release Syndrome business Cytokine storm |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Ovarian Research, Vol 14, Iss 1, Pp 1-13 (2021) Journal of Ovarian Research |
| ISSN: | 1757-2215 |
| Popis: | Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) mainly attacks the respiratory system and is characterized by pneumonia, cytokine storm, coagulation disorders and severe immune downregulation. Although public health experts predicted worst outcomes in Africa, the incidence, hospitalization and mortality rates have been lower in Africa compared to other continents. Interestingly, lower incidence and mortality rates have been observed in women from Africa compared to their cohorts from other continents. Also, in the US non-Hispanic Black females have lower COVID-19 and death rates compared to their white counterparts. It’s unclear why this significant difference exists; however, the ovarian function, genetics and immunological statuses could play a major role. Women of African descent have elevated levels of estrogen compared with Caucasians hence we anticipate that estrogen might offer some protection against the SARS-CoV-2 infections. The racial differences in lifestyle, age and inaccessibility to contraceptive usage might also play a role. Here, we provide insight on how the high levels of estrogen in African women might contribute to the lower cases and fatalities in Africa. Specifically, estrogen might offer protection against COVID-19 by suppressing hyper-production of cytokines, promoting anti-inflammatory cytokines, stimulating antibody production and suppressing endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. This will as well provide useful information on how future pandemics could be managed using Africa as a case study. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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