Gender and genetic factors impacting COVID-19 severity

COVID-19 pandemic is a cause of global concern and is impacting lives and economy globally. Infection due to SARS-CoV-2 leads to varied clinical manifestations, which can vary from asymptomatic to severe acute respiratory syndrome and death. The clinical features are proposed to depend upon various host factors, namely, gender and genetic factors. The significantly high mortality among males has revealed the role of gender, androgens, age, genetics, and risk factors in determining the severity of COVID-19 among the population. The interplay of various host factors and their association with clinically severe infections is crucial for our understanding of COVID-19 pathogenesis. A PubMed and Google scholar search was made using keywords such as “COVID-19 + sex differences,” “COVID-19 + androgens,” “COVID-19 + ACE2 receptor,” and “COVID-19 + smoking alcoholism pregnancy.” The articles which highlight the association of gender and genetic factors to COVID-19 were selected and included in our study. It is mainly the primary care or family physicians who act as the first contact of COVID-19 patients. With the recent increase in SARS-CoV-2 infections in the Indian subcontinent and probability of upcoming surges, it has become imperative to understand its interaction with the various gender and genetic factors to devise effective triage and management protocols. Our review highlights the possible mechanisms by which these factors impact the severity of COVID-19. A better understanding of these factors will be of immense help to primary care physicians.