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Comparative Study
. 2021 Mar;76(3):235.e25-235.e34.
doi: 10.1016/j.crad.2020.11.119. Epub 2020 Dec 11.

Men and women affected by Sars-CoV-2 pneumonia: same CT features but different outcome

I Percivale  1 , P S C Danna  1 , Z Falaschi  2 , S Berardo  1 , S Gangi  1 , S Tricca  1 , L M Castello  3 , M Barini  1 , C Airoldi  4 , A Carriero  1
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Men and women affected by Sars-CoV-2 pneumonia: same CT features but different outcome

I Percivale et al. Clin Radiol. 2021 Mar.

Abstract

Aim: To compare the computed tomography (CT) features of Sars-CoV-2 pneumonia between the two sexes and among different age groups.

Materials and methods: Consecutive patients (n=331) who presented to the emergency department and underwent chest CT and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with a time interval <7 days, which were subsequently found to be consistent with Sars-CoV-2 infection, were enrolled retrospectively. Two experienced radiologists evaluated the images in consensus, recording the number of pulmonary lobes with ground-glass opacities and with consolidation. A CT score was subsequently calculated based on the percentage involvement of each lobe. Clinical symptoms, comorbidities, and level of required hospitalisation were noted. In-hospital mortality was recorded and analysed via the Kaplan-Meier estimator.

Results: Males and females had the same age distribution. No statistically significant difference was found in the analysed CT features and in the CT score (p=0.31) between the sexes. More females were affected by two or more comorbidities (17.1% versus 7.5%, p=0.024), all comorbidities except diabetes were more prevalent in females. Women had a higher probability to be discharged home and a lower probability to be admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU; p=0.008), in-hospital mortality was inferior (13.5% versus 22%).

Conclusion: Despite more comorbidities, women had lower hospital admission and mortality, which was independent of CT findings between both sexes.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Hospitalisation criteria. When PaO2 is not available, SpO2/FiO2 ≤315 suggests the presence of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (including not ventilated patients). ICU, intensive care unit; RF, respiratory frequency; HF, heart frequency; BPM, beats per minute; T, temperature; PEEP, positive end-expiratory pressure; CPAP, continuous positive airway pressure.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Chest CT images of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia (coronal view). (ai) A 32-year-old man with bilateral patchy areas of GGO. (aii) A 37-year-old woman with similar CT features but with some small areas of consolidation. (bi) A 53-year-old man with bilateral diffuse areas of consolidation and small areas of GGO. (bii) A 45-year-old woman with similar CT features, but more extensive GGO. (ci) A 73-year-old man with bilateral GGO and consolidation that involves almost all of the lungs. (cii) A 77-year-old woman with similar CT features.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Different hospitalisation rates in men and women. ICU, intensive care unit.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Cumulative survival probability in men and women followed for 50 days after emergency department access. Sex = 0, females; sex = 1, males.
Figure 5
Figure 5
ROC curve. Logistic model: binary outcome (dependent variable); CT score (predictor).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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