Research shows that one
physical feature could predict worse outcomes from contracting the virus.
After more than two years of research, scientists and doctors are
still trying to understand how COVID-19 works and why it affects people so
differently. And while data shows that certain factors such as age, sex, and
compromised immune systems can factor into how a brush with the virus will play
out, more focused research is discovering that other less obvious elements,
such as genetics, could play a role. According to a new study, finding out if
you have a higher risk of severe COVID could be as simple as looking at your
hands. Read on to see which health sign your extremities might hold.
Having a shorter ring finger than your index finger might indicate
you're at higher risk of severe COVID.
The most recent data comes from a study published on March 17 in
Scientific Reports. A team of researchers from Swansea University in the U.K.,
the Medical University of Lodz in Poland, and Sweden's Karolinska University
Hospital set out to explore a theory of how a person's hormone
levels—specifically testosterone—could affect how ill they become when infected with COVID-19.
Scientists used previous studies that examined a person's relative
finger length to calculate hormone levels. Having a longer ring (or fourth)
finger indicates higher testosterone levels during development in the womb,
while a longer index finger signifies higher estrogen levels. This means women
typically have longer index fingers while men have longer ring fingers.
People with shorter ring fingers than their index fingers had a
higher chance of severe COVID-19, which is more likely to lead to
hospitalization, according to the results. The team also found that people with
greater size differences between fingers on their right and left hands were at
an even higher risk of severe complications from the disease.
The researchers believe there may be a connection between testosterone and COVID outcomes.
Noting that older men are among the most likely to suffer severe
outcomes of COVID-19, researchers hoped to expand on previous studies that
found conflicting evidence as to whether higher or lower levels of testosterone
played into this.
The team gathered 154 participants and measured the second, third,
fourth, and fifth fingers on their hands. Out of the group, 54 people had been
infected with COVID-19, and the remaining 100 acted as a healthy control group.
Results showed that people with a bigger size ratio difference
between their second and fourth fingers and between their third and fifth
fingers were associated with more severe cases of COVID-19, according to a
press release from the university.
Researchers say the findings could help identify patients
particularly vulnerable to COVID-19.
Ultimately, the research team concluded that an association could
be drawn between hormone levels and someone's experience with the virus,
regardless of their biological sex. "Our findings suggest that COVID-19
severity in both men and women is related to low testosterone and possibly high
estrogen," said John Manning, PhD, one of the study's authors from Swansea
University's Applied Sports Technology, Exercise and Medicine (A-STEM) research
team in a statement.
"'Feminized' differences in digit ratios in hospitalized
patients supports the view that individuals who have experienced low
testosterone and/or high estrogen are prone to the severe expression of
COVID-19," he explained. "This may explain why the most at-risk group
is elderly males." He added that this discovery could make it easier to
prioritize vaccination in particularly vulnerable individuals based on finger
length ratios and differences between someone's left and right hand.
The team hopes to expand their research to provide better
treatments for COVID-19 in the future.
Besides better pinpoint who is at the highest risk from the virus,
these study results could also help shape how it's treated in the coming years.
According to the university press release, current trials are exploring
anti-androgen treatments—also known as testosterone blockers—while others see
potential in using testosterone to fight COVID-19.
"Our research is helping to add to the understanding of COVID-19 and may bring us closer to improving the repertoire of anti-viral drugs, helping to shorten hospital stays and reduce mortality rates," Manning said. "The sample is small, but ongoing work has increased the sample. We hope to report further results shortly."
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