Baldness, smoking among COVID-19 risk factors for men: Study

According to the recent research work at the Brown University, male pattern baldness escalates the possibility of developing severe coronavirus symptoms in males.

Dr Carlos Wambier, the lead author of this study, believes that androgen - the male hormone which is responsible for causing baldness in men - could be a possible entry point of COVID-19 virus in their cells.

Wambier and his team of researchers conducted two separate experiments in Spain which further indicated that there could be a possible connection between male baldness and coronavirus.

One of those experiments, published by the American Academy of Dermatology, reviewed almost 122 men with the coronavirus who were admitted at hospitals in Madrid. The experiment showed that 79% of them were bald.

In a separate study, published by the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, it came out with 71% of coronavirus positive patients had male pattern baldness whom they reviewed.

However, so far still no concrete answers can be drawn out of these findings.

High number of ACE2 receptors

According to research done at New York and Mumbai, it was found that testicles of male house ACE2 receptors in big quantities which allows the COVID-19 virus to last for a longer time in the system.

The research further claimed that the prevalence of ACE2 receptors was massively fewer in the ovaries of women. It also stated how the habit of smoking can also boost the risk of coronavirus infection in men.

Genetic make-up

Male is the only one who has the X chromosome per cell, instead of two like women, which consists of a significant amount of immune genes.

This also includes the one for a protein called TLR7 which helps doctors spot single-stranded RNA virus - for example, the coronavirus.