Oops, somebody noticed a correlation I wish wasn’t the case. Turns out men with male pattern baldness, aka “androgenic alopecia” are 2.5 times more likely than men with full heads of hair to be hospitalized with severe Covid-19. The Daily Mail (U.K.) reports the research finding.
Male pattern baldness is controlled by variations in the androgen receptor (AR) gene, which regulates how sensitive the body is to androgens — the so-called 'male hormones' that include testosterone and androstenedione.
Androgen responses have also been linked to an enzyme known as TMPRSS2 which is thought to play a role in coronavirus infections.
Specifically, the team reported that some 79 per cent of men with severe COVID-19 had the condition, compared to the 31–53 per cent that would be expected for men of a similar age group.
Translation: Four out of five men hospitalized for Covid-19 are bald, where something like 2 out of 5 would be expected. Therefore, it is somewhat more important for us baldies to get our two vaccinations for Covid-19.
Many women also experience thinning hair as they age. I wonder if they also are more likely to get really sick with the corona virus than their same-age sisters whose hair isn’t thin?
Join me in ritualistically chanting the mantra “more research is needed.”
