Top stories in endocrinology: Progesterone may reduce COVID-19-related inflammation, obesity drives severe coronavirus complications
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A new proof-of-concept study will examine the role of progesterone in reducing inflammation caused by COVID-19. This was the top story in endocrinology last week.
Another top story was about new data that show patients with obesity are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, experiencing more severe inflammation and hypoventilation than people without excess weight.
Read these and more of last week’s top stories in endocrinology below:
Study examines progesterone to reduce inflammation in COVID-19
Healio spoke with Sara Ghandehari, MD, a pulmonologist and intensive care physician at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, about attempts to lessen inflammatory response in COVID-19, the potential role of hormones like progesterone, and a proof-of-concept study that will assess the use of a short course of hormone therapy in hospitalized men diagnosed with the novel coronavirus. Read more.
'Obesity should not be dismissed': Excess weight drives inflammation, hypoventilation behind COVID-19 complications
New data on underlying conditions among people hospitalized with COVID-19 reveal that the novel coronavirus is disproportionately affecting people with obesity, who are far more likely to experience severe complications compared with people without excess weight. Some of the most severe complications of COVID-19 – namely, acute respiratory failure or acute respiratory distress syndrome – can be driven by conditions already present in a person with obesity, such as chronic, low-grade inflammation and hypoventilation. Read more.
Age-related muscle loss may drive type 2 diabetes risk among men
Older men with sarcopenia are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes during 15 years of follow-up compared with men who have more lean body mass, according to findings published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society. Read more.
Reproductive concerns among transgender adolescents may manifest as ‘disinterest’ in future parenthood
A small cohort of adolescents and young adults who identify as transgender reported limited baseline knowledge of reproduction and expressed underlying reproductive concerns that may manifest as disinterest in becoming a parent, according to findings from a pilot study published in Transgender Health. Read more.
FDA approves twice-yearly leuprolide injection for central precocious puberty
A leuprolide acetate suspension to be dosed every 6 months has been approved by the FDA for use in treating children aged at least 2 years with central precocious puberty, according to a press release from Tolmar Pharmaceuticals. Read more.