A new study has claimed bald men could be at a greater risk of contracting some of the most serious coronavirus symptoms.
Professor Carlos Wambier, from Brown University in the US, carried out two studies where he found that a disproportionately high number of men with male pattern baldness were taken into hospital with Covid-19.
The first of the studies found that 71% of 41 patients being treated for the virus in Spanish hospitals were bald, reports Wales Online.
Another one - which was published in the Journal of American Academy of Dermatology - found that 79% of 122 male coronavirus patients at hospitals in Madrid were also bald.
Professor Wambier claimed that both studies found that “baldness is a perfect predictor of severity”, when he spoke to The Daily Telegraph.
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.
