Purpose Objective of this study was to assess the association between testosterone (T) levels and biochemical markers in a cohort of female patients admitted for SARS-CoV-2 infection in a respiratory intensive care unit (RICU). Methods A consecutive series of 17 women affected by SARSCoV-2 pneumonia and recovered in the RICU of the Hospital of Mantua were analyzed. Biochemical inflammatory markers as well as total testosterone (TT), calculated free T (cFT), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), and luteinizing hormone (LH) were determined. Results TT and cFT were significantly and positively associated with PCT, CRP, and fibrinogen as well as with a worse hospital course. We did not observe any significant association between TT and cFT with LH; conversely, both TT and cFT showed a positive correlation with cortisol. By LOWESS analysis, a linear relationship could be assumed for CRP and fibrinogen, while a threshold effect was apparent in the relationship between TT and procalcitonin, LDH and ferritin. When the TT threshold value of 1 nmol/L was used, significant associations between TT and PCT, LDH or ferritin were observed for values above this value. For LDH and ferritin, this was confirmed also in an age-adjusted model. Similar results were found for the association of cFT with the inflammatory markers with a threshold effect towards LDH and ferritin with increased LDH and ferritin levels for values above cFT 5 pmol/L. Cortisol is associated with serum inflammatory markers with similar trends observed for TT; conversely, the relationship between LH and inflammatory markers had different trends. Conclusion Opposite to men, in women with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, higher TT and cFT are associated with a stronger inflammatory status, probably related to adrenal cortex hyperactivity,
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, Prognosis, inflammatory markers, Gender difference, Sex hormones, 【초록키워드】 intensive care, Pneumonia, SARS-COV-2 infection, hospital, inflammatory markers, LDH, Sex, Testosterone, CRP, ferritin, procalcitonin, serum, Cohort, fibrinogen, cortisol, Inflammatory marker, women, SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, respiratory, threshold, biochemical markers, SARSCoV-2, association, Analysis, Luteinizing Hormone, sex hormone-binding globulin, sex hormone, SHBG, adrenal cortex, Globulin, positive correlation, ferritin levels, Female patients, hyperactivity, linear relationship, Mantua, threshold value, inflammatory status, men, objective, PCT, biochemical marker, observé, Course, Result, analyzed, affected, was used, significantly, calculated, female patient, assumed, ferritin level, 【제목키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, Inflammatory marker, women,