Enzyme makes men more vulnerable to coronavirus; adding interferon may improve treatment

A study from 11 European countries may help explain reports that the new coronavirus seems to attack men more often and more severely than women. Researchers have found that men have higher blood levels of the enzyme that helps the virus infect cells. The higher levels of 'angiotensin-converting enzyme 2,' or ACE2, in men's blood might mean their organs have more of the ACE2 'receptors' the virus uses to get into cells, researchers suggest in a paper published on Monday in European Heart Journal.