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closeLow, High, Testosterone Affects DHEA in Covid-19
Posted by jamesmhoward on 02 Apr 2021 at 09:32 GMT
I suggest the findings of Scalsky, et al., may be caused by testosterone levels which affect dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) levels. It is my hypothesis that Covid-19 infection and subsequent pathology are caused by low levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) which are exacerbated by aging, testosterone and cortisol levels, and antagonism of DHEA by cortisol as in stress (© Copyright 2020, James Michael Howard, Fayetteville, Arkansas, U.S.A.). It is already known that DHEA provides protection from pathogenic viruses. “In this study it was shown that DHEA protects mice against WNV, SVNI and SFV lethal infection.” (Arch Virol. 1991;120(3-4):263-71. doi: 10.1007/BF01310481.) It is also my hypothesis that human evolution is driven by increases in testosterone which increase intracellular DHEA. Testosterone increases androgen receptors through which DHEA enters cells. These hormones work together, so, low testosterone can adversely affect DHEA levels. The findings of Scalsky, et al., can all be explained by low levels of testosterone (check the literature). Again, I suggest the findings of Scalsky, et al., may be explained by low DHEA caused by low testosterone. (It is also known that testosterone reduces sulfatase activity. This means that high testosterone can decrease production of the active molecule, DHEA, from the inactive molecule, DHEAS. Covid-19 infection and subsequent pathology can be caused by low DHEA caused by either low testosterone, reduced intracellular DHEA, or high testosterone, increased DHEAS. These two combinations explain Covid-19 in younger individuals, high testosterone, or older individuals, low testosterone. I suggest this explains the various ages of high Covid-19 infections. Older children, aged 10 19, do exhibit increased infections compared to children younger than 10 because puberty occurs in children 10 – 19. Children aged 3-5, beginning of adrenarche, the onset of increased DHEA, do not exhibit much infections.)