Low-T (Testosterone) Indicates Severity of Covid in Men | ON MEN

Consistently male patients suffer severe Covid as compared to female patients. This led to a wrong conclusion that testosterone might be the culprit since men have more testosterone than women.


Study of Covid and Testosterone:

Serum samples were analyzed from Covid positive patients admitted between March to May 2020, at the Barnes Jewish Hospital, Missouri.

Testosterone, Estradiol and IGF-1 were measured at different time intervals to investigate if their concentrations in the blood was associated to severity of COVID19 and inflammation.

Findings:

Higher levels of testosterone protected patients from severity of disease, and Low-T indicated severity of corona virus and inflammation.

This study which was probing if any connection exists between levels of sex hormones in the blood and acute Covid, found the opposite evidence. Testosterone protected men from causing severe corona virus. This was true taking into consideration age, race, comorbidities, BMI. Across the board it was found that low testosterone was a flag to severe disease even fatalities.

While the study did not prove that low testosterone in itself was the casual factor, it demonstrated that low-T was a definite indicator to issues that caused severe Covid.

Details of Study:

This study was published in JAMA Open Network (Journal of The American Medical association) May 2021 edition. (citation & link to full article below).

A total of 152 patients were in the study, of which 9 were out patient. 143 patients were hospitalized. 90 men and 62 women participated.

For men only low testosterone correlated to severe COVID, while no correlation was found for women with respect to hormone levels or severity. Testosterone level during hospital admission for men averaged 53 nanograms per deciliter, while those with milder infection had average levels of 151 nanograms per deciliter. The average reduced to 19 for those who were very ill on third day.

Among women, no correlation found between levels of any hormone and disease severity.

Among men, only low testosterone levels were linked to COVID-19 severity. A blood testosterone level of 250 nanograms per deciliter or less is considered low-T in adult men. At hospital admission, men with severe COVID-19 had average testosterone levels of 53 nanograms per deciliter; men with less severe disease had average levels of 151 nanograms per deciliter. By day three, the average testosterone level of the most severely ill men was only 19 nanograms per deciliter.

A clear pattern that emerged — lower the testosterone, increased severity of disease and inflammation.

Testosterone Levels Measured as Preventive Care?

What with new mutations causing more out breaks, and further research ongoing on using testosterone as therapy, it might not be a bad idea to get testosterone levels tested if positive for corona virus, which might help with favorable outcomes and reduce severity and fatality in men from Covid?

Maybe, men suffering from comorbidities should test T levels as a preventive precaution even?

Citation:

Dhindsa S, Zhang N, McPhaul MJ, et al. Association of Circulating Sex Hormones With Inflammation and Disease Severity in Patients With COVID-19. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(5):e2111398. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.11398

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2780135

To get started with your testosterone levels testing, go to: ONMEN.CA/TRT

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How Does Finasteride Restore Hair Loss From Male Pattern Baldness (MPB)?

Image
Finasteride restores Male Pattern Baldness hair loss by boosting the growth phase of the hair cycle called the anagen phase. Many studies demonstrate the efficacy of finasteride to regrow hair lost from Male Pattern Baldness (MPB). In one such study: Treatment with finasteride 1 mg day−1 for 48 weeks increased both total and anagen hair counts, and improved the anagen to telogen ratio. “Conclusions These data provide direc t  evidence that finasteride 1 mg daily promotes the conversion of hairs into the anagen phase. These data support that finasteride treatment results in favorable effects on hair quality that contribute to the visible improvements in hair growth observed in treated patients.” ​ So What are the Anagen & Telogen Phases? The growth of scalp hair is a cyclical process of successive phases of growth (anagen) and rest (telogen). The growth rate varies individually and other factors — genetics, age, environmental, level of abuse using chemicals etc play a part. Hair can
Read more

How is Minoxidil and Finasteride Different?

Image
Treating Mechanism Minoxidil is external — scalp based treatment, used for all types of hair loss including androgenic alopecia. Finasteride is both Pill and topical application, and works only on androgenic alopecia (male pattern baldness.) ​ Minoxidil is a vasodilator. It works by enriching the hair follicles with improved blood flow and reducing the rest phase of hair growth. Finasteride is an enzyme blocker which reduces a potent form of testosterone — DHT which causes MPB, the most common cause of hair loss in men and women. ​ Minoxidil thic k ens the hair shaft, and can increase density, whereas finasteride stops miniaturization of the hair shaft due to DHT and stabilizes hair loss. ​ Minoxidil elongates growth phase, finasteride stops hair going into rest phase due to miniaturization or shrinking of hair shaft. ​ Minoxidil least effective to treat  frontal baldness . Finasteride can effectively treat receding front line.​ Minoxidil will result in increased hair everywhere. In fa
Read more

How Does TRT Therapy Impact Low Libido?

Image
Libido refers to sexual desire and overall sexual drive. Testosterone plays a center stage role in maintaining man’s libido. Variation in libido or sex drive is normal with sexual drive easing with age. That said, one man’s low libido is another’s height of sexual contentment. Onmen Canada TRT & Libido What causes Low Libido? Ageing brings down testosterone levels gradually. About 1% from thirty onwards and testosterone is the male hormone that defines male characteristics, builds muscle, impart a sense of well being, stay motivated & lean. Injury, illness, hormonal abnormalities, medications taken for chronic conditions, depression, alcohol, drugs like opioid & marijuana abuse might play a part in decreased T-levels in the body. Sudden fall in testosterone, or prolonged lows should be looked at, as this might be an indication of underlying health issues. Psychological & Environmental Factors Sexual drive in a person itself varies with a lot of other factors like stress
Read more