US researchers found that boosting testosterone in men with deficient levels can reduce their risk of severe illness from the coronavirus
Among men diagnosed with Covid-19, those with low testosterone levels are more likely to become seriously ill and require hospitalization than those with normal levels of this hormone, a new American scientific study shows. Boosting testosterone in men with deficient levels may reduce their risk of getting seriously ill from the coronavirus.
The researchers from the medical schools of Washington and St. Louis universities, who made the relevant publication in the American medical journal “JAMA Network Open”, analyzed data on 723 men who had been diagnosed positive for Covid-19. 427 had normal testosterone levels (300 to 1,000 nanograms per deciliter), 116 had low levels, while 180 had low levels at first but had raised them through hormone therapy, so they had returned to normal levels when they got Covid-19 infection.
It found that those with low testosterone were about two and a half times more likely to be hospitalized. But if men with initially below-normal testosterone had subsequently received hormone therapy, then they were no more likely to need hospitalization due to the coronavirus.
Scientists estimate that low testosterone (under 200 nanograms) is an independent risk factor for hospitalization due to Covid-19, similar in severity to diabetes, heart disease and chronic lung disease. Therefore, they believe that specific men with very low levels of this hormone will be better protected from the coronavirus if they increase their testosterone levels with special hormone therapy.
“It is very likely that Covid-19 is here to stay. Hospitalizations due to it are still a problem and will continue to be a problem in the future because the virus is constantly evolving new variants that escape immunity. On the other hand, low testosterone is very common, with up to a third of men over 30 having it. Our study highlights this important risk factor,” said lead researcher Abinav Dewan Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington and Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
Men with low testosterone may experience sexual dysfunction, depressed mood, irritability, difficulty concentrating and memory, chronic fatigue, loss of muscle strength and generally low well-being. When a man’s quality of life is affected enough, he usually resorts to hormone replacement therapy. But when the symptoms are still relatively mild, then doctors hesitate to give such treatment because there are concerns about an increased risk of prostate cancer and heart disease. It is precisely these men with untreated—and possibly undiagnosed—low testosterone who may be most at risk of severe Covid-19.
“Our study shows that it would be wise to look at testosterone levels, especially in people with symptoms that are indicative of low levels of this hormone, and then make an individualized treatment, discussing the pros and cons of hormone therapy,” he said. Dr. Dewan.
RES-EMP
Read the News today and get the latest news.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news.
