New research is showing why a larger percentage of men—particularly bald men—are having worse Covid-19 outcomes than women.

Researchers at Brown University point to androgens, the group of hormones which causes hair loss in men. They’ve determined androgens are linked to severe cases of Covid-19 and suggest their discovery could be called the “Gabrin Sign,” named for the first U.S. physician to die of Covid-19 in the United States. Dr. Frank Gabrin was bald.

Lead author Dr. Carlos Wambier said, “We think androgens or male hormones are definitely the gateway for the virus to enter our cells. We really think baldness is a perfect predictor of severity.”

Wambier and his team conducted two studies in Spain. The results of one of those studies, published in the American Academy of Dermatology, showed that 79% of 122 men who tested positive for Covid-19 and admitted to three hospitals in Madrid were bald.

A separate study of 41 patients in Spain showed that 71% of them were bald.

Could androgens also signal a problem for some female patients?

The study that was published in the American Academy of Dermatology says, “it would be interesting to observe for severe Covid cases in female patients who present with increase androgens, for example, females with metabolic syndrome or whom are using birth control methods with progestogen hormones that bind to androgen receptor. Additionally, there are many medical conditions that could increase androgen activity in females and might correlate with increasing vulnerability to Covid-19.”

The investigation continues and Wambier and his colleagues believe if their theory is correct that anti-androgen therapy could be used as a Covid-19 treatment.

They write in the study, “A vaccine might ultimately be found for SARS-CoV-2; however, if a vaccine is not found or found to be ineffective, androgen suppression as a prophylactic treatment could reduce Covid-19 disease burden.”

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website or some of my other work here.