tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Andrology
. 2021 Aug 18.
doi: 10.1111/andr.13097. Online ahead of print.
Testosterone in males with COVID-19: A seven-month cohort study
Andrea Salonia[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Marina Pontillo[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Paolo Capogrosso[SUP] 1 4 [/SUP], Silvia Gregori[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Cristina Carenzi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Anna Maria Ferrara[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Isaline Rowe[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Luca Boeri[SUP] 1 6 [/SUP], Alessandro Larcher[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Giuseppe A Ramirez[SUP] 2 7 [/SUP], Cristina Tresoldi[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Massimo Locatelli[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Giulio Cavalli[SUP] 2 7 [/SUP], Lorenzo Dagna[SUP] 2 7 [/SUP], Antonella Castagna[SUP] 2 9 [/SUP], Alberto Zangrillo[SUP] 2 10 [/SUP], Moreno Tresoldi[SUP] 11 [/SUP], Giovanni Landoni[SUP] 2 10 [/SUP], Patrizia Rovere-Querini[SUP] 2 12 [/SUP], Fabio Ciceri[SUP] 2 13 [/SUP], Francesco Montorsi[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: Circulating testosterone levels have been found to be reduced in men with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection (COVID-19), with lower levels being associated with more severe clinical outcomes.
Objectives: We aimed to assess total testosterone (tT) levels and the prevalence of tT still suggesting for hypogonadism at seven-month follow-up in a cohort of 121 men who recovered from laboratory-confirmed COVID-19.
Materials and methods: Demographic, clinical and hormonal values were collected for all patients. Hypogonadism was defined as tT ≤9.2 nmol/l. The Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) was used to score health-significant comorbidities. Descriptive statistics and multivariable linear and logistic regression models tested the association between clinical and laboratory variables and tT levels at follow-up assessment.
Results: Circulating tT levels increased at 7-mo follow-up compared to hospital admittance (P<0.0001), while luteinizing hormone and 17β-estradiol levels significantly decreased (all P≤0.02). Overall, tT levels increased in 106 (87.6%) patients, but further decreased in 12 (9.9%) patients at follow-up, where a tT level suggestive for hypogonadism was still observed in 66 (55%) patients. Baseline CCI score (OR 0.36; P = 0.03 [0.14, 0.89]) was independently associated with tT levels at 7-mo follow-up, after adjusting for age, BMI and IL-6 at hospital admittance.
Conclusions: Although tT levels increased over time after COVID-19, more than 50% of men who recovered from the disease still had circulating T levels suggestive for a condition of hypogonadism at 7-mo follow-up. In as many as 10% of cases, T levels even further decreased. Of clinical relevance, the higher the burden of comorbid conditions at presentation, the lower the probability of T levels recovery over time. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; comorbidities; follow-up; male; testosterone.
. 2021 Aug 18.
doi: 10.1111/andr.13097. Online ahead of print.
Testosterone in males with COVID-19: A seven-month cohort study
Andrea Salonia[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Marina Pontillo[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Paolo Capogrosso[SUP] 1 4 [/SUP], Silvia Gregori[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Cristina Carenzi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Anna Maria Ferrara[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Isaline Rowe[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Luca Boeri[SUP] 1 6 [/SUP], Alessandro Larcher[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Giuseppe A Ramirez[SUP] 2 7 [/SUP], Cristina Tresoldi[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Massimo Locatelli[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Giulio Cavalli[SUP] 2 7 [/SUP], Lorenzo Dagna[SUP] 2 7 [/SUP], Antonella Castagna[SUP] 2 9 [/SUP], Alberto Zangrillo[SUP] 2 10 [/SUP], Moreno Tresoldi[SUP] 11 [/SUP], Giovanni Landoni[SUP] 2 10 [/SUP], Patrizia Rovere-Querini[SUP] 2 12 [/SUP], Fabio Ciceri[SUP] 2 13 [/SUP], Francesco Montorsi[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 34409772
- DOI: 10.1111/andr.13097
Abstract
Background: Circulating testosterone levels have been found to be reduced in men with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection (COVID-19), with lower levels being associated with more severe clinical outcomes.
Objectives: We aimed to assess total testosterone (tT) levels and the prevalence of tT still suggesting for hypogonadism at seven-month follow-up in a cohort of 121 men who recovered from laboratory-confirmed COVID-19.
Materials and methods: Demographic, clinical and hormonal values were collected for all patients. Hypogonadism was defined as tT ≤9.2 nmol/l. The Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) was used to score health-significant comorbidities. Descriptive statistics and multivariable linear and logistic regression models tested the association between clinical and laboratory variables and tT levels at follow-up assessment.
Results: Circulating tT levels increased at 7-mo follow-up compared to hospital admittance (P<0.0001), while luteinizing hormone and 17β-estradiol levels significantly decreased (all P≤0.02). Overall, tT levels increased in 106 (87.6%) patients, but further decreased in 12 (9.9%) patients at follow-up, where a tT level suggestive for hypogonadism was still observed in 66 (55%) patients. Baseline CCI score (OR 0.36; P = 0.03 [0.14, 0.89]) was independently associated with tT levels at 7-mo follow-up, after adjusting for age, BMI and IL-6 at hospital admittance.
Conclusions: Although tT levels increased over time after COVID-19, more than 50% of men who recovered from the disease still had circulating T levels suggestive for a condition of hypogonadism at 7-mo follow-up. In as many as 10% of cases, T levels even further decreased. Of clinical relevance, the higher the burden of comorbid conditions at presentation, the lower the probability of T levels recovery over time. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; comorbidities; follow-up; male; testosterone.