Male Balding Is a Major Risk Factor for Severe COVID-19

The document reports a study that found male balding to be a significant risk factor for severe COVID-19. The study analyzed data from 1,941 hospitalized males tested for COVID-19 from the UK Biobank, considering variables such as age, body mass index (BMI), hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes. The severity of balding was self-reported by participants using images adapted from the Hamilton-Norwood scale. The results showed that the likelihood of testing positive for COVID-19 increased with the severity of balding. Specifically, patients with severe hair loss (pattern 4) had a significantly higher chance of testing positive for COVID-19 compared to those with no hair loss (pattern 1), with an adjusted odds ratio of 1.408 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.004-1.972, p=0.0468). The study supports previous observations and suggests that severe androgenic alopecia may be an indicator to help identify and protect those at greater risk of hospitalization for COVID-19.