Low Testosterone Linked to Hospitalization for COVID

Excerpt from a recent news update in Medpage Today:

"Normal testosterone levels in men might be protective against severe COVID-19, a retrospective cohort study suggested.

Among 723 men with a mean age of 55, those who had hypogonadism had a higher risk of hospitalization for COVID-19 versus men with eugonadism (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.4-4.4, P<0.003). Of these men, 45% with hypogonadism were hospitalized with COVID-19 versus only 12% with eugonadism, the group noted in JAMA Network Open.

"The fact that testosterone treatment lowered the risk further solidified our finding that low testosterone should be considered a risk factor for hospitalization from COVID".- Sandeep Dhindsa, MD, of St. Louis University School of Medicine in Missouri

The study's findings build upon prior research led by Dhindsa, which found that men with severe COVID illness tended to have significantly lower testosterone levels at the time of diagnosis than men with mild cases: 151 ng/dL versus 53 ng/dL. This trend also held true throughout the course of COVID illness."

​Link to this article:
https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/100520​