@Article{info:doi/10.2196/36470,
author="Ali, Nameer A
and Lami, Faris",
title="Sex-Based Variations in the Clinical Manifestations, Comorbidities, and Outcomes of Patients With COVID-19 in Baghdad, Iraq, 2020",
journal="iproc",
year="2022",
month="Feb",
day="4",
volume="8",
number="1",
pages="e36470",
keywords="COVID-19; Iraq; sex; case fatality ratio; comorbidity",
abstract="Background: A higher incidence of COVID-19 in males has been widely reported. However, whether clinical manifestations, comorbidities, severity, and outcomes differ between males and females remains an area of active investigation. Objective: We aimed to compare the clinical features, comorbidities, severity, and outcomes between male and female patients with COVID-19 from Baghdad, Iraq, in 2020. Methods: We performed a records-based cross-sectional study by extracting sociodemographic, clinical manifestation, severity, and outcome data from the records of patients with COVID-19 admitted to 2 COVID-19 hospitals in Baghdad, Iraq, between June and August 2020. Results: We reviewed a total of 2111 patient records with a history of COVID-19, and 1175 (55.7{\%}) patients were males. We found that respiratory symptoms, sore throat, and gastrointestinal manifestations were significantly more common among females. In contrast, males had significantly more ``other'' manifestations. No significant difference was noted for fever, nasal congestion, conjunctival congestion, headache, and musculoskeletal manifestations. Generally, female patients had a significantly higher proportion of comorbidities than males (42.7{\%} vs 36{\%}; P=.002). The proportion of severe and critical cases was not different between males and females. The mean time from diagnosis to the outcome was significantly longer in females (P=.03), but the duration of the hospital stay was not significantly different between males and females. Finally, the case fatality ratio was higher in males (16.1{\%}) than in females (13.2{\%}). Conclusions: Sex affects the clinical course and outcomes of patients with COVID-19. Male patients may need more attention, considering the higher case fatality ratio. ",
issn="2369-6893",
doi="10.2196/36470",
url="https://www.iproc.org/2022/1/e36470",
url="https://doi.org/10.2196/36470"
}