Corona Daily 020: Covid and Manhood

In yesterday’s Washington Post, Gary from Virginia State asks: “Does Covid-19 cause erectile dysfunction?” (More commonly known as impotence).

I checked if this was in the newspaper’s humour section. It wasn’t. Usually in British tabloids, people address their most personal and intimate problems to Agony aunt or Ecstasy aunt or someone like that. It was surprising to see the question in the coronavirus section. “Possibly”, replied the Washington post reporter. “Not certain, but erectile dysfunction may be one of the rare covid symptoms”.

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Pandemic has triggered a high level of creativity among researchers. There are three research papers which as a matter-of-fact study the relationship between covid-19 and a phallus.

In March, seven Italian scientists decided to find out if Covid-19 causes impotence. Believe it or not, the title of the paper is: “Mask up to keep it up.”

 The group started an online research project called Sex@COVID study. It was an anonymous questionnaire to investigate the psychological, relational, and sexual health of Italian subjects. In total, 6821 Italians (4177 males and 2644 females) age range 21-44 took part. All of them provided informed consent, and the local Ethical committee approved the study.

985 sexually active men were identified, 25 of them reported they had tested positive for Covid-19. SHIM (Sexual Health Inventory for Men) alternatively known as IIEF (International Index for Erectile Function) is the clinical measure. Scores of 21 or below suggest ED (a man’s inability); scores 22-25 are considered normal.

Scientific method requires presence of experiment and control groups. Once the 25 Covid positive Italian men were identified online, the researchers selected 75 negative men (from among the 985 sexually active men), making sure that the negative and positive men were similar in age, body mass index, physical and mental health. (Don’t know what questions the Italian females answered. Maybe they had to vouch for their partners’ functionality or lack of it).

The prevalence of ED was higher in the men who had covid-19 (28%) as compared to men who didn’t. (9%).

The Italian researchers also suggest the reverse correlation. ED, it seems, can be accompanied by a range of other risks such as diabetes, hypertension. That makes the ED men more susceptible to Covid-19. In short, erectile dysfunction can be both a cause and consequence of Covid-19.

One hypothesis advanced by the team was that covid-19 might interfere with the levels of testosterone.

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In March 2021, two scientists from Texas published a paper called “Testosterone’s role in COVID-19”.

Why are males, and elderly males in particular dying disproportionately in the pandemic? Does it have to do with the falling levels of testosterone in aged males?

This pair of researchers suggests men with low testosterone may benefit from testosterone replacement therapy.

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The third relevant paper was published in May 2021 by a group of Miami scientists. The title: “histopathological, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural study of the Human Penis.

This bunch didn’t rely on any online survey. They actually collected penile tissues from patients undergoing surgery for penile surgery for severe ED. They found two men with a history of Covid infection, and two men who never had covid. (All four men had severe ED).

The researchers proudly claim their study was the first to demonstrate the presence of the covid-19 virus in the penis long after the initial infection. They also suggest Covid can contribute to ED. They recommend further studies to evaluate the mechanisms of how covid-19 leads to ED.

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Honestly, I think the papers have entertainment rather than any scientific value. To give sexual dysfunction scores based on what anonymous men and women say online is amusing. In my view, such studies are an outcome of bored (and unemployed) researchers and bored people online answering their questions.

If you are proud of your mastery of the English language, please read those papers. They will make you humble. Look at this sample: “The testicular injury could be a consequence of alterations in the coagulative status, resulting in development of ischemia at a microvascular level. Independently of the etiology, it can lead to a development of a form of hypergonadotropic hypogonadism.”

Stephen Colbert, the American TV comedian, when talking about the result of those studies quipped: “The doctors really mean it when they say the hard part is over.”

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Ravi