Androgen Receptor Genetic Variant Predicts COVID-19 Disease Severity: A Prospective Longitudinal Study of Hospitalized COVID-19 Male Patients

In a prospective longitudinal study of 65 hospitalized COVID-19 male patients, researchers found that a genetic variant in the androgen receptor (AR) gene, specifically the length of the polyglutamine (CAG) repeat, was associated with disease severity. Patients with a longer CAG repeat (CAG>=22) had a higher risk of being admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and longer hospital stays compared to those with a shorter CAG repeat (CAG<22). The study excluded subjects taking androgen modifying drugs and used PCR-amplified sequencing to determine CAG repeat length. Among the 34 subjects with a CAG>=22, 24 (70.6%) were admitted to the ICU with a median hospitalization duration of 47.5 days, while among the 31 subjects with a CAG<22, 14 (45.2%) were admitted to the ICU with a median hospitalization duration of 25 days. The findings suggest that AR CAG repeat length could serve as a biomarker for predicting ICU admission risk in male COVID-19 patients, supporting the role of androgens in disease severity. The authors acknowledge the study's small size and encourage further research into anti-androgen treatments for COVID-19.