Retrospective 48 androgenetic alopecia patients in Brazil treated with dutasteride, compared with 48 propensity score matched androgenetic alopecia patients not taking any 5ARis, showing a statistically significant reduction in the frequency of 20 of 29 COVID-19 symptoms with treatment.
McCoy et al., 2 Nov 2020, retrospective, Brazil, peer-reviewed, 11 authors.
5-alpha-reductase inhibitors are associated with reduced frequency of COVID-19 symptoms in males with androgenetic alopecia
J Mccoy
We have previously reported that men with androgenetic alopecia (AGA) are more likely to present with severe COVID-19 symptoms, potentially implicating androgen sensitivity as a risk factor for COVID-19. [1] [2] [3] As such, we hypothesized that 5-alphareductase inhibitors (5ARi) may reduce the severity of COVID-19 disease. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a retrospective cohort analysis on male subjects with laboratory confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. The subjects presented at one of five outpatient clinics (Corpometria Institute Brasilia, Brazil) from 15 June to 28 July 2020. At the time of visit, 29 clinical symptoms associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection were documented. For analysis, male subjects with AGA were selected. The frequency of clinical symptoms in males with AGA using 5ARis was compared to those not using 5ARis. Among the men presenting at the clinic, 300 were positive for SARS-CoV-2. Of these, 65 had AGA but were not using 5ARis, and 48 had AGA and were taking a 5ARi for at least six months prior to the study. The only 5ARi used in this cohort was dutasteride (0.5 mg) for the treatment of AGA. Propensity score
Conflicts of interest
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