Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33254589›Full record

ArticleMedical hypotheses2020

Role of testosterone in COVID-19 patients - A double-edged sword?

Aneela N Hussain, Fazal Hussain, Shahrukh K Hashmi

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Medical hypotheses, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing papers in PubMed
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 18% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

19 citing papers in PubMed, 27 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Spatial Distribution of SARS-CoV-2 Receptors and Proteases in Testicular Cells.The journal of histochemistry and cytochemistry : official journal of the Histochemistry Society · 2023
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  15. SARS-CoV-2 and the reproductive system: known and the unknown..!!Middle East Fertility Society journal · 2021
    Review
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  17. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Aneela N HussainKing Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Fazal HussainCollege of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: fhussain@alfaisal.edu.
Shahrukh K HashmiDepartment of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Alfaisal University · SAKing Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre · SAMayo Clinic in Arizona · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

COVID-19 affects males twice as frequently as females with significantly increased severity and mortality. Current data suggest a direct correlation between the lower level of serum testosterone, inflammatory cytokines, disease severity, and poor clinical outcomes among male patients with COVID-19. The gradual decline in total and free testosterone levels has a direct correlation with serious pulmonary complications requiring advanced care (ICU, ventilators, ECMO, etc.). SARS-CoV-2 utilizes Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme II (ACE2) for entry in the host cell, and Transmembrane Protease, Serine 2 (TMPRSS2) to prime spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. Testosterone induces ACE-2 expression, a critical pulmonary protective enzyme. Low testosterone levels in males have a direct correlation with the high probability of ICU admission and the worse disease outcome (ARDS, duration of ICU stay, mortality). On the contrary, however, high testosterone levels can lead to thrombosis which is also one of the fatal manifestations in COVID-19 patients. A critical evaluation of the serum testosterone and its relevance to COVID-19 is warranted to re-evaluate strategies to effectively triage, prioritize, and manage high-risk patients for ICU admission, survival outcomes, targeted solutions, and operational algorithms.

Indexed as

AlgorithmsCOVID-19Critical CareCytokinesDisease ProgressionFemaleHumansInflammationMaleProbabilityRisk AssessmentSex FactorsTestosteroneTreatment OutcomeCytokinesTestosteroneACE2COVID-19 outcomesSARS-CoV-2SexTestosteroneTMPRSS2

Identifiers

PMID33254589
PMCPMC7494488
OpenAlexW3084668744

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.