Comment on “Androgens and women: COVID‐19 outcomes in women with acne vulgaris, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and hirsutism”
Abstract
Comment on “Androgens and women: COVID-19 outcomes in women with acne vulgaris, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and hirsutism” Dear Editor, We read with great interest a study by Yale et al. published in the International Journal of Dermatology. The authors studied the relation between hyper androgenic women, such as women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), nodulocystic acne, or hirsutism, and COVID-19. The authors noted that hospitalization rates among COVID-19-positive women of this cohort varied from 4.5 to 8%, with no significant increase in mortality rates compared to 11.4–11.7% in those without these conditions. Furthermore, there were no significant associations between the studied women on therapeutics and the rate of COVID-19 infection or hospitalization. These therapeutics included spironolactone, estradiol, and metformin. Female hyperandrogenism is characterized by elevated androgen levels and is often a result of PCOS, which is one of the most common endocrine disorders in women, affecting 8–16% of all women.Patients with PCOS are at risk to develop resistant acne, hirsutism, and female pattern hair loss, in addition to metabolic syndrome. Unlike in the study by Yale et al., authors from the United Kingdom noted that PCOS women had a 28% increased risk of suspected/confirmed COVID-19 compared to non-PCOS women. Interestingly, isotretinoin solely may be beneficial to patients with PCOS and acne who are not candidate for oral contraceptive pills. Feily et al.…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a cohort study, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence. Reported size: 19 participants or records.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Increased expression of circulating miRNA-93 in women with polycystic ovary syndrome may represent a novel, non-invasive biomarker for diagnosis
- Identification of key genes associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and ovarian cancer using an integrated bioinformatics analysis
- Identification of key pathways and genes in polycystic ovary syndrome via integrated bioinformatics analysis and prediction of small therapeutic molecules
- Regulation of Androgen Receptor Expression Alters AMPK Phosphorylation in the Endometrium: In Vivo and In Vitro Studies in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
- Effect of oral administration of low-dose follicle stimulating hormone on hyperandrogenized mice as a model of polycystic ovary syndrome
- Systems pharmacology to investigate the interaction of berberine and other drugs in treating polycystic ovary syndrome
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.