Protective Trend of Anti-Androgen Therapy During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Meta-Analysis

A meta-analysis of seven studies involving 53,378 samples found that anti-androgen therapy may offer protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection, with an overall odds ratio (OR) of 0.89, suggesting a protective trend. The study also found that this therapy could potentially reduce COVID-19-related mortality, based on 14 studies with 9,619 infected patients, showing an overall OR of 0.85. The androgen receptor (AR), which plays a key role in diseases like alopecia, is a target of anti-androgen therapy. Therefore, this therapy might help prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection and associated mortality, but more research is needed to confirm these findings.