The current study aims to describe the charac- teristics of the SARS-CoV-2 infection from the beginning of its spread in Italy, in February 2020, up to April 2021 across the tested positive cases in Italy. Global data strongly suggest that a sex/gender-based disparity exists, with men being at higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, hospitalization, poor clinical outcomes and death due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). With this in mind, we focused on a sex/gender analysis, in order to better understand the role of sex/gender-related determinants in the outcome of COVID-19. We used rou- tinely collected data retrieved from the Italian National Sur- veillance System of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections. Data is collected and entered daily on a secure online platform by the 19 Italian Regions and the two Autonomous Prov- inces, and all the system is coordinated by the Italian Na- tional Institute of Health. In total, 4.027.075 cases occurred from February 2020 to April 2021, and were included in the analysis. Our results show that in Italy the numbers of SARS-CoV-2 infections are quite similar in women and men, even if some differences in ex- posure and outcomes between sexes are present. In par- ticular, the case fatality rate over 50 years of age is signifi- cantly higher in men than in women, with the difference increasing with age. These data further confirm the importance of the integration of a sex/gender analysis in future studies, thus enabling ef- fective public health measures and gender-specific solutions.
Epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 cases in Italy: an analysis from a sex/gender perspective / Spuri, Matteo; Cataldo, Claudia; Del Manso, Martina; Fabiani, Massimo; Petrone, Daniele; Boros, Stefano; Sacco, Chiara; Mateo Urdiales, Alberto; Masella, Roberta; Bressi, Marco; Bella, Antonino; Riccardo, Flavia; Busani, Luca; D’Archivio, Massimo; Pezzotti, Patrizio; Integrated Surveillance of COVID-19 study group, Italian. - In: THE ITALIAN JOURNAL OF GENDER-SPECIFIC MEDICINE. - ISSN 2612-3487. - 8:1(2022), pp. 3-9. [10.1723/3769.37561]
Epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 cases in Italy: an analysis from a sex/gender perspective
Matteo SpuriPrimo
;Daniele Petrone;
2022
Abstract
The current study aims to describe the charac- teristics of the SARS-CoV-2 infection from the beginning of its spread in Italy, in February 2020, up to April 2021 across the tested positive cases in Italy. Global data strongly suggest that a sex/gender-based disparity exists, with men being at higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, hospitalization, poor clinical outcomes and death due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). With this in mind, we focused on a sex/gender analysis, in order to better understand the role of sex/gender-related determinants in the outcome of COVID-19. We used rou- tinely collected data retrieved from the Italian National Sur- veillance System of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections. Data is collected and entered daily on a secure online platform by the 19 Italian Regions and the two Autonomous Prov- inces, and all the system is coordinated by the Italian Na- tional Institute of Health. In total, 4.027.075 cases occurred from February 2020 to April 2021, and were included in the analysis. Our results show that in Italy the numbers of SARS-CoV-2 infections are quite similar in women and men, even if some differences in ex- posure and outcomes between sexes are present. In par- ticular, the case fatality rate over 50 years of age is signifi- cantly higher in men than in women, with the difference increasing with age. These data further confirm the importance of the integration of a sex/gender analysis in future studies, thus enabling ef- fective public health measures and gender-specific solutions.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
