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Bald men are more at risk of severe coronavirus infection, headlines rumble around the world. While the link between hair loss and susceptibility to viral diseases at first glance seems questionable, there is actually a correlation. However, this is not so much about baldness, but about androgens – hormones that are found in men (and women, but in small amounts) and are often the cause of hair loss.
COVID-19 and alopecia
For many weeks, scientists have been trying to unravel the mystery of why men get sick and die more often from COVID-19. During the observation, it turned out that a large proportion of seriously ill patients are men suffering from alopecia. 79 percent COVID-19 patients in Madrid’s hospitals were bald. Similar cases were described by researchers whose publication appeared in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology – 71 percent. the patients were bald.
Part of the medical community believes that alopecia should be considered a risk factor for a more severe course of coronavirus infection. There was even a term “Symptom of Gabrini” – in honor of the first American doctor to die of infection. Dr. Frank Gabrin was bald.
The observations aroused the interest of experts from around the world, especially those who deal with prostate cancer research on a daily basis. Why? In the case of this tumor, it is androgens that have been shown to stimulate an enzyme that accelerates the growth of cancer cells. This enzyme is TMPRSS2. It turns out that the same enzyme is involved in SARS-CoV-2 infection.
The coronavirus uses its spikes, or spike protein, to get into the cell and replicate there. Before this happens, it binds to the cell membrane, and this process is activated by an enzyme – scientists say that TMPRSS2 may be responsible for this.
Research results are preliminary so far, but experts say it may be male hormones are not only responsible for baldness, but also “help” the coronavirus attack the body.
– We believe that male hormones are a “gate” for the virus, thanks to which it enters the cells – said prof. Carlos Wambier from Brown University, who studies the relationship between androgens and COVID-19.
So the question immediately arises – are the drugs that inhibit the secretion of androgens, used in the treatment of, among others, can alopecia or prostate cancer help in COVID-19 treatment? Some assumptions can already be made.
In Italy, researchers looked at cases of coronavirus infection among prostate cancer patients. It found that men who took androgen-lowering drugs were four times less likely to get SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to patients who took other drugs.
While doctors speculate that anti-androgen therapy could make the course of COVID-19 infection less severe, there is still no strong scientific evidence for this. More experiments are needed. It is not known whether hormonal drugs are as effective for the lungs as they are for the prostate. Research is currently underway to check the effectiveness of such therapies in the case of COVID-19.
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