Bald men could be at a higher risk of dying from coronavirus because male hormones help the virus attack cells, scientists have revealed.
The hormone Androgen, which causes hair loss in men, has been linked to some of the worst cases of Covid-19 in Spanish hospitals.
And the discovery could be named the Gabrin Sign, after the first US physician to die of the illness in the US, Dr Frank Gabrin – a bald man.
Professor Carlos Wambier, the lead author of the key study behind the discovery from Brown University, told The Telegraph: ‘We really think that baldness is a perfect predictor of severity.’
It has previously been reported that data heavily suggested men who fell ill with coronavirus were more likely to die from it that women.
The hormone Androgen, which causes hair loss in men, has been linked to some of the worst cases of Covid-19 in Spanish hospitals. Pictured, staff from La Paz hospital in Madrid held a two-minute silence on May 14 for health workers who have died from coronavirus
In the UK a report this week from Public Health England suggested working age men were twice as likely as women to die after the diagnosis.
‘We think Androgens or male hormones are definitely the gateway for the virus to enter our cells,’ Prof Wambier added.
The professor has led two studies in Spain, with both finding a disproportionate number of men with male-patterned baldness being admitted to hospital with the deadly disease.
In one study of 122 patients, 79 per cent of men who tested positive in three Madrid hospitals were bald. It was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
An earlier study of 41 patients in Spain found 71 per cent were bald. It should be noted these were relatively small-scale studies and scientists have said more work needs to be done.
The background rate of baldness in white men of a similar age to those studied is between 31 and 53 per cent – a significant drop.
The discovery could be named the Gabrin Sign, after the first US physician to die of the illness in the US, Dr Frank Gabrin – a bald man. Pictured, a man and a medical worker at the Russian Defence Ministry’s field hospital for Covid-19 patients in Musa Salgereyev
Hospital patient Isidre Correa talks with doctors inside his ICU box before he is taken to the seaside by intensive heath care staff outside the Hospital del Mar on June 3 in Barcelona, Spain
Medical specialists draw blood to test for COVID-19 coronavirus antibodies at the 191 hospital in Moscow, Russia, on June 3
Meanwhile a separate trial has been launched by Matthew Rettig, oncologist at US Los Angeles, to test the effect of prostrate drugs – reducing levels of androgens – on coronavirus in LA, Seattle and New York.
Another study in Veneto, Italy, of 9,280 patients found men with prostrate cancer who were on androgen deprivation therapy were only a quarter more likely to become ill with Covid-19 as those on other treatments.
It comes as Britain yesterday announced 176 more coronavirus deaths, taking the total number of victims to 39,904 – as separate shock data suggests the UK’s outbreak is still killing more people each day than the rest of the EU countries combined.
The UK’s death toll is now on the brink of passing the 40,000 mark, but the epidemic has slowed dramatically in the past few weeks. For comparison, last Thursday there were 377 Covid deaths, and 338 the week before that.
Britain’s outbreak has slowed dramatically in the past few weeks. On Wednesday health bosses announced 359 more victims – down almost 13 per cent on the 412 deaths recorded last Wednesday. But analysis of data shows only 345 deaths were recorded in the 27 EU countries yesterday, including 81 in France, 74 in Sweden and 71 in Italy
However, Britain is not out of the woods yet as analysis of figures suggest it is still being hit harder than the rest of the 27 countries in the bloc put together.
UK health bosses announced 359 more coronavirus victims on Wednesday, compared to just 345 deaths recorded in the EU, including 81 in France, 74 in Sweden and 71 in Italy. It’s unclear how many Covid victims there were today in the EU.
Separate backdated data has also suggested the real number of deaths in Britain has already tipped 50,000, which would cement the UK’s status as being Europe’s worst-hit nation.
Today’s fatalities were revealed by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, who also announced that face coverings would be compulsory on public transport in England. Mr Shapps encouraged the public to make their own face covering or use a scarf, but said surgical masks should be reserved for healthcare workers.
Of the new deaths recorded in Britain, NHS England saw 115 in hospital patients who tested positive – the youngest a 26-year-old.
Scotland posted nine Covid-19 deaths in all settings, followed by eight in Wales and one in Northern Ireland.
The remaining deaths occurred in care homes in England in the wider community.
It comes as it was revealed police have launched a probe into a care home which was ordered to close after 15 residents died following a major outbreak of coronavirus.
Temple Court in Kettering, Northamptonshire, was forced to shut its doors following the Covid-19-related deaths of patients who were sent there after being discharged from hospital.
In extraordinary scenes in the chamber last night, Business Secretary Alok Sharma ignored the government’s own guidance as he struggled on despite repeatedly wiping his brow and blowing his nose
The home is now being investigated by Northamptonshire Police and council bosses amid allegations of abuse and neglect.
Officers are speaking to relatives of the 15 residents following claims they were sent there without being tested after being released from two separate hospitals.
In other developments, furious MPs demanded the Commons sits ‘virtually’ again after a senior minister ‘sniffled, sweated and snorted’ through a statement – before self-isolating for coronavirus.
In extraordinary scenes in the chamber last night, Business Secretary Alok Sharma ignored the government’s own guidance as he struggled on despite repeatedly wiping his brow and blowing his nose.
The episode sparked concerns that dozens of politicians have been at risk of infection and will now have to go into quarantine – potentially including Cabinet ministers and top officials.
It also heaped pressure on Boris Johnson to reverse the controversial decision to scrap electronic voting and Zoom debates, after ‘farcical’ scenes this week that saw hundreds of MPs ‘conga’ through Westminster in a mile-long socially distanced queue to take part in divisions.
Figures also revealed only a quarter of business that have temporarily closed during the coronavirus crisis plan to reopen their doors within the next month, dampening efforts to kickstart the economy.
Just nine per cent of businesses told the Office for National Statistics (ONS) they would be ready to open within a fortnight, with a further 16 per cent saying they could be ready within four weeks.
Almost half of those polled in May – before the announcement to reopen British businesses – said they did not know when they might open, piling pressure on the Government’s economic plans.
Boris Johnson last month gave the go-ahead for non-essential retail to restart on June 15, as he attempted to bring the coronavirus-battered UK High Street back to life.
A poll also revealed children in the north are missing out on an education as Labour-run councils refuse to allow schools to reopen.
A survey of primary headteachers has found just a third of them followed the Prime Minister’s plan and managed to bring back Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 students back to class on Monday.
This dropped to as low as 12 per cent in the north-east of England and eight per cent in the north-west, where a large number of Labour-run councils refused to let their schools open.
The survey of 10,000-plus schools was carried out by the National Education Union, which found 44 per cent of schools did not open more widely on June 1.
Bill Gates warned anti-vaxxers could wreck attempts to develop a Covid-19 vaccine if they refuse to take it and reduce the level of herd immunity.
Over 80 per cent of people may need to have the jab for it to work properly – but the philanthropist said he feared anti-vaccine ‘craziness’ might put people off getting it.
The billionaire founder of Microsoft, who now donates hundreds of millions of dollars to global health causes, said the prospect was ‘worrying’.
Vaccines can only be successful at stamping out a virus if so many people get them that a vast majority of the population is immune and the disease can no longer spread.
Mr Gates’s comments come as vaccine trials on humans are in full swing in the UK and the University of Oxford has announced it will test its candidate in Brazil now.