Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Jul;34(4):e15004.
doi: 10.1111/dth.15004. Epub 2021 Jun 9.

Androgenetic alopecia and COVID-19: A review of the hypothetical role of androgens

Hamideh Moravvej  1 , Mohammad Reza Pourani  1   2 , Moein Baghani  1 , Fahimeh Abdollahimajd  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Androgenetic alopecia and COVID-19: A review of the hypothetical role of androgens

Hamideh Moravvej et al. Dermatol Ther. 2021 Jul.

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become the most emerging health issue globally. A prompt investigation regarding disease management and treatment is crucial for decreasing the burden of the disease. Many explorations and hypotheses have been posed, but the definite treatment has not been determined for COVID-19. Recent studies described a substantial prevalence of COVID-19 and also a higher rate of morbidity and mortality in men afflicted with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The gender-related discordance in COVID-19 infection may be due to hormonal differences, socioeconomic factors, genetic susceptibility, gender-related comorbidities, and habits like alcohol consumption. On the other hand, several studies proposed that androgens could improve the immune system and have a protective role in COVID-19, and decreased levels of androgens might be associated with unsatisfactory outcomes. In the field of dermatology, androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is correlated with a hyperandrogenic state and may be related to COVID-19 severity. Furthermore, recent research has assessed the plausible association of AGA and COVID-19. In this review, we investigate all evidence on AGA and its relationship with COVID-19, including the possible role of androgens in COVID-19 severity and outcomes as well as candidate androgen-related drugs for the treatment of COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2 infection; androgenetic alopecia; coronavirus disease 2019; treatment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

    1. WHO Coronavirus Disease (COVID‐19) Dashboard. https://covid19.who.int
    1. Borges do Nascimento IJ, Cacic N, Abdulazeem HM, et al. Novel coronavirus infection (COVID‐19) in humans: a scoping review and meta‐analysis. J Clin Med. 2020;9(4):941. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Foresta C, Rocca M, Di Nisio A. Gender susceptibility to COVID‐19: a review of the putative role of sex hormones and X chromosome. J Endocrinol Invest. 2020;44:1‐6. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cattrini C, Bersanelli M, Latocca MM, Conte B, Vallome G, Boccardo F. Sex hormones and hormone therapy during covid‐19 pandemic: implications for patients with cancer. Cancer. 2020;12(8):2325. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Barat T, Abdollahimajd F, Dadkhahfar S, Moravvej H. Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of cow placenta extract lotion compared to minoxidil 2% in the treatment of female pattern androgenetic alopecia. Int J Womens Dermatol. 2020;6:318‐321. - PMC - PubMed