Gabrin Sign Is Associated with Poor Covid19 Outcomes.

Advanced Male Balding is Associated with Worse COVID 19 Outcomes

The aim of our research was to investigate the association between the severity of COVID-19 infection and different types of androgenic alopecia.

This observational, cross-sectional study was carried out in November 2020 at the Clinical Center of Vojvodina in Novi Sad, Serbia. We analysed hospitalised COVID-19-positive male patients needing oxygen support with respect to the length of hospitalisation, the outcome of COVID-19 infection as well as the type of applied oxygen support and the presence of comorbidities

For the purpose of hair loss severity classification, they classified patients into four groups using an adapted version of the Hamilton–Norwood scale. Group 1 had no hair loss,, Group 2 was Hamilton Norwood II, III, IIIa and IVa. group 3 was stage 3 v and group 4 comprised the Hamilton Norwood Group IV, V, Va, VI and VII.

The authors chose to call patients in groups 3 and 4 “Gabrin positive” to denote those who had balding in the crown area.

In total, 208 male patients were enrolled in the study, with an average age of 65 (range 28–90 years old). The lethal outcome was registered in 23.8% of patients, with an average age of 77.

There was no statistically significant difference in the outcomes , nor in the type of oxygen therapy used in patients with various grades of balding. However, when subjects were classified according to the existence of the Gabrin sign, a statistically significant difference in the outcome of treatment (p = 0.027) was seen. There was a higher mortality rate in Gabrin positive patients.

There was no statistically significant difference in the average length of hospitalisation between groups of type 1 to 4 alopecia nor according to the Gabrin sign.

REFERENCE.

Veskovic D et al. Association of androgenetic alopecia with a more severe form of COVID-19 infection. Ir J Med Sci. 2022 Mar 23;1-6.