Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Introduction. It is known that COVID-19 has a negative impact on the androgen status of men in the acute period, but data on the effect of SARS-CoV-2 on the reproductive system of men with post-COVID syndrome are contradictory. In this regard, a research was performed to study the effect of the novel coronavirus infection on the androgen status of men in 3 months after recovery. Aim of the research. To assess androgen status in men with post-COVID syndrome. Materials and methods. The study included 90 men aged 28 to 44 years. The main groups included 60 patients: group 1 consisted of 30 men who had suffered from severe COVID-19, group 2 of 30 patients who had suffered from mild COVID-19. The control group 3 included 30 practically healthy men. To assess erectile function and androgen deficiency, each group was surveyed using the international erectile function index and the Aging Male Screening (AMS) questionnaire. Peripheral blood was sampled on the 90th day from the moment of recovery of the patients, followed by determination of the concentration of hormones: total testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, prolactin, estradiol and sex hormone-binding glo¬bulin. Results. According to the questionnaire, in patients who had suffered coronavirus infection, 3 months after recovery, statistically significant changes in erectile function as well as androgen deficiency of varying degrees were registered compaired to the control group. In patients who had had coronavirus infection in a severe form, on the 90th day from the moment of recovery, a statistically significant decrease in the level of total testosterone by 61% and an increase in the content of follicle-stimulating hormone, sex hormone-binding globulin, prolactin by 89, 87 and 25%, respectively, were observed compared to similar parameters in healthy volunteers. In mild coronavirus infection, 3 months after recovery, the level of total testosterone in the blood corresponded to the reference range with an underlying increase in the concentration of follicle-stimulating hormone and sex hormone-binding globulin, compared to healthy men by 33 and 86%, respectively. The article discusses the impact of the novel coronavirus infection on the reproductive system of men in the post-COVID period (90 days after recovery), in particular, on the level of hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in those who have had mild and severe forms of the infection. Conclusion. The novel coronavirus infection has a negative impact on the male reproductive system, which is confirmed by statistically significant changes in the androgen status in men 3 months after recovery compared to healthy volunteers. Severe COVID-19 is accompanied by a more significant post-COVID syndrome in men compared to patients who have had a mild coronavirus infection. Hormonal imbalance registered on the 90th day from the moment of recovery in the main groups of men in combination with erectile dysfunction in most patients suggests the implementation of pharmacological correction of the androgen status in the post-COVID period.
Source: Sibirskij medicinskij vestnik
Authors: A.G. Antonov, K.I. Gamylin, V.V. Gordeev
Language: English
Subfield: Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4411915872