HRT In Women Might Be A Defense Against Severe illness from Covid-19

A Swedish study involving nearly 15,000 women found that of these women, 17% used hormone replacement therapy to increase estrogen levels in their bodies.

The new study from Finland and Sweden suggests that estrogen levels in postmenopausal women are linked to their risk of contracting a serious case of Covid-19. Researchers led by Professor Malin Sud found that women with higher amounts of estrogen were less likely to become sick or die from the illness. The team, part of a joint research program between the University of Helsinki and the Karolinska Institutet, published their findings in the British medical journal BMJ Open. Along with testing hormone levels, the researchers also estimated that it might be worth investigating hormone therapy as a means of reducing the severity of Covid-19 in postmenopausal women.

In this analysis of nearly 14,700 women, researchers found that 17 percent of the women who had Covid-19—were undergoing hormone replacement therapy to raise their estrogen levels and help alleviate the symptoms of menopause. Researchers also found that 2 percent of the women with Covid-19 were taking drugs that lowered estrogen levels to fight breast cancer. The remaining 81 percent of women with Covid-19 did not undergo hormone replacement therapy.

According to the recent statistics, twice as likely to die from Covid-19 than was previously reported. The study also found that those who received estrogen reduction therapy were at 94% higher risk of death, but that those who received estrogen boosting therapy had a 54% lower risk of dying from the disease. Additional research showed that age was a significant factor in the probability of death, with each additional year increasing the risk by 15%. Lastly, women with the lowest family incomes were almost three times as likely to die of Covid-19 than the control group.

Researchers found that there is a link between estrogen levels, as shown by a study of post-menopausal women, and the severity of symptoms caused by Covid-19. Therefore, drugs that increase estrogen levels could help reduce the severity of symptoms caused by Covid-19. Further randomized intervention trials are warranted to confirm these results.

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Citation: https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/2/e053032