Low Testosterone Linked to Higher Risk for Severe COVID-19 and Death
A recent study published in JAMA showed that low Testosterone levels may be linked to severe COVID-19 cases and higher rate of death. In the study, men who had mild cases of COVID-19, men with severe illness had significantly lower testosterone levels at the time of diagnosis compared to men who had mild cases of COVID-19 (53 ng/dL vs 151 ng/dL, respectively). During the time of admission, median testosterone concentrations were 65% lower among men with severe illness compared with those with mild COVID-19 cases. By day 3 and 7, testosterone concentrations were 83% and 84% lower in men with severe illness versus those with mild cases. This association was independent of other known COVID-19 risk factors, including age, body mass index, comorbidities, smoking status, and race.
According to the authors of the article, men with low testosterone at the time of admission, their risk of having severe COVID-19 — requiring intensive care or dying — was much higher compared with men who had higher testosterone levels. And if testosterone levels dropped further during hospitalization, the risk increased.
Men with symptomatic COVID-19, who were found to have low testosterone following admittance to hospital, were more likely to become severely ill and die from the disease, another new research study has shown. The study, carried out in Milan during the first wave of coronavirus in 2020, found that the lower the levels of testosterone, the higher the likelihood that male patients would need intensive care, be intubated on a ventilator and remain in hospital over a longer period. Their likelihood of dying increased six-fold.
These two studies highlighted the importance of testosterone hormone in men with COVID-19 infection. Therefore, Testosterone level monitoring and hormone replacement therapy in men carry a significant important during this pandemic.
