TLDR Anti-androgen therapy might help protect against COVID-19 infection and reduce death risk.
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.
50 citations
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July 2021 in “Nature Communications” The drug enzalutamide may reduce the ability of the virus causing COVID-19 to enter lung cells.
7 citations
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December 2019 in “American Journal of Clinical Dermatology” Topical therapies show promise for hair loss and acne treatment with minimal side effects.
9 citations
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November 2020 in “Medical Hypotheses” Hair loss may link to weaker COVID-19 immunity, suggesting possible need for extra vaccine boost.
5 citations
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December 1979 in “Clinical and Experimental Dermatology” Anti-androgens are effective for female acne but less so for male-pattern hair loss, with side effects similar to birth control pills.
3 citations
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March 2021 in “Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology” The letter is skeptical about the effectiveness of anti-androgen therapy for COVID-19 and calls for strong evidence from clinical trials.
September 2022 in “Frontiers in Immunology” Anti-androgen therapy may boost immunity but increases injection site pain in vaccinated patients.
47 citations
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April 2020 in “Dermatologic Therapy” Androgenetic alopecia linked to COVID-19 severity; drugs reducing androgen receptor activation may help.
