Plasma steroid concentrations reflect acute disease severity and normalise during recovery in people hospitalised with COVID‐19
Authors' conclusion
Circulating glucocorticoids in patients hospitalised with COVID-19 reflect acute illness, with a marked rise in cortisol and fall in male testosterone. These findings are not observed 5 months from discharge. The lack of association between hormone concentrations and common post-COVID symptoms suggests steroid insufficiency does not play a causal role in this condition.
Study context
- Population
- People hospitalised with COVID-19 (ISARIC/WHO CCP-UK) and at follow-up 5 months after hospitalisation (PHOSP-COVID), UKacute n = 239
- Exposure
- Plasma steroid concentrations by acute COVID-19 severity (WHO ordinal scale) and by post-COVID symptoms
- Outcome
- Plasma cortisol, acute cohort
- Follow-up
- During hospitalisation
Methodological detailstwo UK multicentre cohorts, Plasma steroids quantified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry
- Two UK multicentre cohorts
- Plasma steroids quantified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
P < 0.001
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Testosterone in males, acute cohort · during hospitalisation · testosterone decreased with severity
P < 0.001
Follow-up cohort (n = 198) plasma cortisol and male testosterone · 165 [121-192] days postdischarge
- Plasma cortisol, geometric mean (SD), nmol/L
- 275.6 [1.5]
- Male testosterone, geometric mean (SD), nmol/L
- 12.6 [1.5]
- Cortisol did not differ with in-hospital severity, perception of recovery, or patient-reported symptoms
- Testosterone not related to in-hospital severity, perception of recovery or symptom scores
- 68.9% ongoing symptoms
Parts of this Brief are withheld: the automatic checks could not confirm them against the abstract.
Original publication
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