Bald Men at Higher Risk of Severe Covid-19, Research Suggests

Emerging evidence from recent research suggests that bald men may be at a higher risk of suffering from severe symptoms of Covid-19.

Since the virus emerged in China, researchers have noticed a higher incidence of death in bald men, reported The Telegraph in England.

Data since the beginning of the outbreak in Wuhan, China, in January has shown that men are more likely to die after getting coronavirus.

In the UK, a report published by the Public Health England found that working-age males were twice as likely as females to die after being diagnosed with Covid-19.

Researchers at Brown University point to androgens, the group of hormones which causes hair loss in men. These hormones, which also include testosterone, may play a part not only in hair loss but also in boosting the ability of coronavirus to attack cells.

The researchers now see the possibility of suppressing these hormones by using treatments used for baldness and prostate cancer, to slow down the virus and give patients enough time to fight off the coronavirus.

In a separate study in the UK, West Virginia University researchers also investigated the link between hair and Covid-19. The outcome of their research was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

From these researches, the scientists noted that bald men were 40 percent more likely to test positive than those with a full head of hair.

They took into account other Covid-19 risk factors including high blood pressure and diabetes in order to focus solely on the impact of baldness severity.

Other data from a Chinese study conducted in late April revealed that men are 2.5 times more likely to die of coronavirus disease than women

However, experts warn that this is preliminary research and that most bald men mostly come from the aging bracket.

You can read more on this at the following links:

1. The Telegraph
2. Daily Mail

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