Sex differences may affect the severity of poisoning and prognosis after carbon monoxide poisoning: a retrospective study.

The objective of this retrospective study was to analyze the relationship between sex and prognosis after carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. Sixty-six couples diagnosed with CO poisoning were divided into two groups according to premenopausal or postmenopausal females. The prognosis was compared between husbands and wives. A multiple-factor analysis was conducted to determine the effects of sex and age on prognosis. The wives had higher Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) scores (P = 0.012) and cure and improvement rate (P = 0.013) than did their husbands within the same poisoning environment. In the premenopausal group, the wives had higher GOS scores (P = 0.023) and cure and improvement rate (P = 0.035) than did their husbands, which was not present in the postmenopausal group. Females had milder classifications in 24 hours (odds ratio [OR] = 2.968; P = 0.010). Females (OR = 0.485; P = 0.034) or patients younger than 40 years old (OR = 5.760; P < 0.001) had higher GOS scores. As the patients diagnosed with mild or moderate poisoning were excluded, age was still related to the GOS scores (OR = 5.714; P = 0.001), but not sex. Females have an advantage over their male spouses in terms of the severity of poisoning and prognosis after CO poisoning, particularly in premenopausal couples. Sex is an important prognostic indicator in CO poisoning.