TY  -  JOUR
AU  -  Spuri, Matteo
AU  -  Cataldo, Claudia
AU  -  Del Manso, Martina
AU  -  Fabiani, Massimo
AU  -  Petrone, Daniele
AU  -  Boros, Stefano
AU  -  Sacco, Chiara
AU  -  Urdiales, Alberto Mateo
AU  -  Masella, Roberta
AU  -  Bressi, Marco
AU  -  Bella, Antonino
AU  -  Riccardo, Flavia
AU  -  Busani, Luca
AU  -  D’Archivio, Massimo
AU  -  Pezzotti, Patrizio
AU  -  Italian Integrated Surveillance of COVID-19 study group
T1  -  Epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 cases in Italy: an analysis from a sex/gender perspective
PY  -  2022
Y1  -  2022-01-01
DO  -  10.1723/3769.37561
JO  -  The Italian Journal of Gender-Specific Medicine
JA  -  Ital J Gender-Specific Med
VL  -  8
IS  -  1
SP  -  3
EP  -  9
PB  -  Il Pensiero Scientifico Editore
SN  -  2612-3487
Y2  -  2026/04/15
UR  -  http://dx.doi.org/10.1723/3769.37561
N2  -  Summary. The current study aims to describe the characteristics 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 routinely collected data retrieved from the Italian National Surveillance 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 Provinces, and all the system is coordinated by the Italian National 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 exposure and outcomes between sexes are present. In particular, the case fatality rate over 50 years of age is significantly 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 effective public health measures and gender-specific solutions.
ER  -