Detection of Male Hypogonadism in Patients with Post COVID-19 Condition, 2022, Yamamoto et al

Abstract

The pathogenesis and prognosis of post COVID-19 condition have remained unclear. We set up an outpatient clinic specializing in long COVID in February 2021 and we have been investigating post COVID-19 condition. Based on the results of our earlier study showing that “general fatigue” mimicking myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is the most common symptom in long COVID patients, a retrospective analysis was performed for 39 male patients in whom serum free testosterone (FT) levels were measured out of 61 male patients who visited our clinic.

We analyzed the medical records of the patients’ backgrounds, symptoms and laboratory results. Among the 39 patients, 19 patients (48.7%) met the criteria for late-onset hypogonadism (LOH; FT < 8.5 pg/mL: LOH group) and 14 patients were under 50 years of age. A weak negative correlation was found between age and serum FT level (r = −0.301, p = 0.0624). Symptoms including general fatigue, anxiety, cough and hair loss were more frequent in the LOH group than in the non-LOH group (FT ≥ 8.5 pg/mL). Among various laboratory parameters, blood hemoglobin level was slightly, but significantly, lower in the LOH group. Serum level of FT was positively correlated with the levels of blood hemoglobin and serum total protein and albumin in the total population, whereas these interrelationships were blurred in the LOH group.

Collectively, the results indicate that the incidence of LOH is relatively high in male patients, even young male patients, with post COVID-19 and that serum FT measurement is useful for revealing occult LOH status in patients with long COVID.

Open access, https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/11/7/1955/htm

 

Evidence mounts for an accumulation of relatively small damage all throughout the body. Injured organs all over, shrinking brain and now gonads. It's generally not huge damage, makes it easy to miss, but starting to think there could be something about what all this damage does, how much it could explain the resulting illness.

Some have extensive damage, or significantly reduced organ function, that can be detected with the traditional tools of medicine. But a lot of widespread damage could be very demanding to fix, gets the immune system active having to clean up, and possibly reducing its vigilance, allowing for opportunistic pathogens present in the body to go on the attack. A thousand small cuts vs a large deep wound.

It's frankly hard to agree that even a small measure of damage could be irrelevant when it's so widespread.

 

Correlation looks problematic - is LOH a consequence of COVID19 or does LOH lower male immunity to infection by and/or sequalae of, COVID19 infection ?

 

There is another option;

That testosterone and post covid have no connection.

Much like elephants, although it's rumoured some exist, are not likely to have a strong connection to cod stocks in the Atlantic (of much more dubious existence).