In a recent study from Swansea University, scientists found the link between levels of sex hormones in the womb and in puberty and COVID hospitalizations.
It is widely recognized that a longer ring finger is a marker of higher levels of testosterone prenatally, whereas a longer index finger is a marker of higher levels of estrogen.
Generally, men have longer ring fingers, whereas women have longer index fingers. Most people who contract COVID-19 only experience mild symptoms.
But when it comes to patients who need hospital care, the rates vary depending on gender (with males experiencing a higher severity than females).
This has led scientists to examine the link between testosterone and COVID-19 severity more closely.
One hypothesis implicates high testosterone in severe cases but another links low levels of testosterone in elderly men with a poor prognosis.
In the study, researchers looked more closely at digit ratios (ratios of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th digits) as predictors of severity of COVID-19 symptoms.
They found that patients with “feminized” short little fingers relative to their other digits tend to experience severe COVID-19 symptoms leading to hospitalization, and more importantly patients with large right-hand—left-hand differences in ratios 2D:4D and 3D:5D—have substantially elevated probabilities of hospitalization.
The findings suggest that COVID-19 severity is related to low testosterone and possibly high estrogen in both men and women.
The team says “‘feminized’ differences in digit ratios in hospitalized patients support the view that individuals who have experienced low testosterone and/or high estrogen are prone to the severe expression of COVID-19.
This may explain why the most at-risk group is elderly males.
There are currently several trials of anti-androgen (testosterone) drugs as a treatment for COVID-19. However, in contrast, there is also interest in testosterone as an anti-viral against COVID-19.
If you care about COVID, please read studies about the key to treating severe COVID-19, and a longer interval between COVID-19 vaccines gives you 9 times as many antibodies.
For more information about COVID, please see recent studies about the cause of long COVID symptoms, and results showing a new antiviral drug combo could effectively treat COVID-19.
The research is published in Scientific Reports and was conducted by Professor John Manning et al.
Copyright © 2022 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
