Bald men 'at greater risk' of having serious coronavirus symptoms study claims

Bald men could be at greater risk of having serious Covid-19 symptoms, according to new research.

And the lead author of the study is so confident in the data that he has told The Daily Telegraph: "We really think that baldness is a perfect predictor of severity."

The newspaper reported that Brown University's Professor Carlos Wambier conducted two studies in Spain which found that a disproportionately high number of men with male pattern baldness were taken to hospital with coronavirus.

The first study found of 71% of the 41 patients examined with Covid-19 in Spanish hospitals were bald, with the background rate of baldness for white men of a similar age to the patients between 31 and 53%.

The second study, which was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, found 79% of the 122 male coronavirus patients in Madrid hospitals were bald.

Scientists have argued androgens - male sex hormones - may contribute to hair loss and increase the ability of the coronavirus to attack cells.

That means hormone-suppressing drugs could potentially be used to slow Covid-19's progress and allow sufferers time to recover.

Professor Wambier told the Telegraph: 

We think androgens or male hormones are definitely the gateway for the virus to enter our cells.

However others have urged caution, with Prostate Cancer UK head of policy Karen Stalbow telling the newspaper "much more evidence is needed" before such drugs could be used for coronavirus treatment.