The Complex Interplay between Serum Testosterone and the Clinical Course of Coronavirus Disease 19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review of Clinical and Preclinical Evidence

Abstract

Since the beginning of the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic, efforts in defining risk factors and associations between the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), clinical, and molecular features have initiated. After three years of pandemic, it became evident that men have higher risk of adverse outcomes. Such evidence provided the impetus for defining the biological fundaments of such a gender disparity. Our objective was to analyze the most recent literature with the aim of defining the relationship between COVID-19 and fertility, in particular, we assessed the interplay between SARS-CoV-2 and testosterone in a systematic review of literature from December 2019 (first evidence of a novel coronavirus in the Hubei province) until March 2022. As a fundamental basis for understanding, articles pertaining preclinical aspects explaining the gender disparity (n=9) were included. The main review categories analyzed the risk of being infected with SARS-CoV-2 according to testosterone levels (n=5), the impact of serum testosterone on outcomes of COVID-19 (n=23), and the impact SARS-CoV-2 on testosterone levels after infection (n=19). Preclinical studies mainly evaluated the relation between angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and its androgen-mediated regulation, articles exploring the risk of COVID-19 according to testosterone levels were few. Although most publications evaluating the effect of COVID-19 on fertility found low testosterone levels after the infection, follow-up was short, with some also suggesting no alterations during recovery. More conclusive findings were observed in men with low testosterone levels, that were generally at higher risk of experiencing worse outcomes (i.e., admission to intensive care units, longer hospitalization, and death). Interestingly, an inverse relationship was observed in women, where higher levels of testosterone were associated to worse outcomes. Our finding may provide meaningful insights to better patient counselling and individualization of care pathways in men with testosterone levels suggesting hypogonadism.

Keywords: COVID-19; COVID-19 pandemic; Fertility; SARS-CoV-2; Testosterone.