BOCA RATON, Fla. – A recent study found that men with low testosterone levels see their risk of hospitalization due to COVID more than double.
Dr. Kanwal Bawa, a sexual wellness specialist, said the findings by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis aren’t surprising.
“Testosterone directly regulates some key enzymes that help us fight infection and when you have lower testosterone levels it makes you more susceptible to COVID and not only are you more susceptible to COVID you are likely to have a poor outcome. ICU hospitalizations skyrocketed among people with lower testosterone levels,” she said.
Bawa said conversely, an infection with COVID can cause testosterone levels to drop.
Though the study team recommends hormone replacement therapy, they noted that there are concerns related to the treatment, including a risk of prostate cancer and heart disease in some men.
And a recent study from UVA health found more than 64 percent of women experience mood swings or anxiety when they get their period, which researchers said makes premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, a public health issue.
The majority of women surveyed also said these symptoms impact their daily lives in some way.
Because there are a number of treatments for PMS, researchers are hopeful the findings will help women improve their quality of life by making doctors more aware of how common these symptoms are.