Low Testosterone Can Increase Severity of COVID

Posted: January 22, 2024

Being struck down by a virus such as COVID-19 can be more than just a physical ailment; it’s an upheaval to your daily routine and overall life, especially if you are already experiencing low testosterone. The debilitating symptoms can leave you feeling miserable, disrupting your work, personal commitments, and even simple day-to-day activities.

Recent studies suggest that the intensity of your reaction to the COVID virus could be amplified if you have low testosterone levels. This hormonal deficiency may increase the severity of the virus, leading to more intense symptoms and a potentially more challenging recovery process.

In these studies, researchers observed that men with testosterone levels lower than the normal range frequently experienced a higher severity of COVID symptoms as compared to men with normal testosterone levels.

Restoring testosterone levels can make a significant and positive impact on your overall health, and treatment is easy and convenient. Weekly testosterone injections can help you regain your energy, strength, and vitality. Book an appointment with us today to check your testosterone levels and take a proactive step towards better health.

You Can Contract the COVID Virus at Any Time

Testosterone injections increase your base hormone level, helping to limit the severity of a COVID infection.

Because it’s an airborne pathogen that spreads from one person to another, you can potentially contract COVID at any time, just as with any other virus like the cold or flu.

For some men, the impact of contracting COVID can prove to be particularly harsh. In fact, men are overall more likely to experience severe symptoms or even die from COVID as compared to women. Researchers have hypothesized that the hormonal differences between men and women is a key reason for this susceptibility.

Some of the symptoms you could experience with a COVID infection include:

• Chest pain or pressure
• Shortness of breath
• High fever
• Dry cough
• Extreme fatigue
• Loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Body aches and pains
• Serious skin rashes

The average recovery time for men with COVID varies considerably depending on your overall health when you first got sick. If symptoms are mild to moderate, most men will recover within about two weeks. However, if your reaction was more severe, recovery could take six weeks or more.

Men with Low Testosterone More Likely to Be Hospitalized with COVID

Recent studies have indicated that men with low testosterone levels who contract COVID are at a heightened risk of hospitalization when compared to their counterparts with normal hormone levels. Research has shown that these men are 2.4 times more likely to require hospitalization. Hospitalization can be a very overwhelming experience. Not only are you coping with acute physical symptoms, but also the emotional toll of being separated from your loved ones and being required to stay in an unfamiliar environment for an indefinite length of time.

While the full reasons for this correlation are still under investigation, there appears to be a strong link between low testosterone and COVID symptom severity. Testosterone is known to have anti-inflammatory properties, helping to stabilize the body after its initial response to viral infections. Inflammation is the body’s natural response designed to ramp up for healing and combating infections. However, if there isn’t sufficient testosterone to help an inflammatory response subside, inflammation is sustained at a high level. This elevated inflammation could potentially worsen COVID symptoms such as fever, body aches, and respiratory complications.

Furthermore, testosterone is essential for maintaining various bodily functions, including muscle and bone strength, red blood cell production, and fat distribution. A deficiency in this hormone may result in a weaker physical state overall, reducing your body’s capacity to fight the virus effectively. 

Study Showed Testosterone Levels Predicted Illness

In one study, researchers sought to uncover potential indicators for predicting which patients would become very ill over a few days. The study found a correlation between lower testosterone levels in male COVID patients and a higher likelihood of developing a severe illness.

They found that men who already had low testosterone when they arrived at the hospital were at a much greater risk of developing severe symptoms and requiring intensive care or even dying compared to patients with higher levels of circulating testosterone. Furthermore, if a man’s testosterone levels continued to decrease during hospitalization, his risk of severe illness increased even more. 

Factors that Increase COVID Risk Also Causes of Low T

Several other factors are known to increase the risk of severe COVID in men, including advanced age, obesity, and diabetes. Interestingly, these factors are also associated with lower testosterone levels. Aging naturally leads to a dip in testosterone production, and conditions like obesity and diabetes often coincide with hormonal imbalances such as low testosterone.

Obesity, for instance, can disrupt the hormonal balance and lead to lower testosterone levels. The excess adipose, or fat, tissue found in obese individuals can interfere with the normal functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, which is responsible for the production and regulation of testosterone. On top of that, this adipose tissue converts testosterone into estrogen, further reducing the overall testosterone concentration in the body.

Similarly, men with diabetes often exhibit lower testosterone levels. This is due to the complex interplay between testosterone and insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. Testosterone plays a role in the metabolism of glucose, and lower levels can lead to insulin resistance. At the same time, the chronic high blood sugar levels seen in diabetes can disrupt normal hormonal production. Consequently, diabetes can both be an effect and cause of low testosterone, creating a vicious cycle that may exacerbate both conditions.

If you have conditions like diabetes or obesity, there’s a good chance you may also have low testosterone levels. Having these interconnected conditions greatly increases your risk of a severe COVID infection.

Testosterone Levels May Take Months to Recover After COVID

Research has shown that men who contract COVID may experience an overall decrease in circulating testosterone levels. Such a decrease can be significant and potentially long-lasting, as the recovery of pre-disease testosterone levels can be slow and incomplete. The lengthy duration of low testosterone levels post-recovery could also contribute to residual symptoms experienced by some men, such as fatigue and muscle weakness.

One research group conducted a critical study which revealed that more than half of men who had been hospitalized due to COVID-19 continued to exhibit low testosterone levels even after as long as seven months of recovery. This finding points to a potential long-term impact of the virus on men’s hormonal health, extending beyond the immediate physical manifestations.

Even if your COVID infection was not severe, it can still have lasting repercussions. One compelling study found that out of 46 male patients who were asymptomatic, a striking 65.2% reported a noticeable loss of libido. This suggests that the virus can impact testosterone levels even in the absence of severe physical symptoms.

Help Restore Your Health with Testosterone Injections

Testosterone injections can play a crucial role in boosting your overall health to help prevent severe symptoms of infection and support recovery from COVID. Replenish your testosterone levels with injections and addressing any underlying deficiencies or imbalances. Protect yourself from potential long-term health effects and experience improved energy and mood. Contact us now to schedule an appointment for a customized hormone replacement treatment plan to restore normal testosterone levels.

Related Posts

Disclaimer: This article is made available for general, entertainment and educational purposes only. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of Low T Center. You should always seek the advice of a licensed healthcare professional.