Free Testosterone Levels in Patients with COVID-19 and Its Association with Disease Severity

    April 2022 in “ International journal of respiratory and pulmonary medicine ”
    Jesus Alan Guardado Vindiola, Gisel Viviana Licon Martinez, Marina Estrada-Rodriguez, Katya Lorena Wilhelmy-Ledesma, Joaquin Córdova Erberk, Álvaro Lozano Castañeda, Miguel Angel Gaxiola-García, Hiram Javier Jaramillo-Ramírez
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    TLDR People with lower levels of free testosterone tend to have worse COVID-19 outcomes.
    A prospective, observational study of 49 patients (32 men and 17 women) with COVID-19 found that those with lower levels of free testosterone had worse outcomes than those with higher levels. The mean free testosterone for survivors was 3.21 pg/ml, compared to 1.82 pg/ml in non-survivors. This pattern held true for both men and women. The study suggests that testosterone could act as a protective factor, reducing the risk of cytokine storm. Lower levels of testosterone have been associated with higher levels of IL-1 beta, IL-6, and TNF-alpha. The study also found a significant negative correlation between free testosterone levels, age, and the APACHE II score. However, the study did not consider the association between obesity and testosterone levels and only included moderate to severe patients hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia.
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