Interaction of Metals, Menopause and COVID-19—A Review of the Literature

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Identified in 2019, the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 causes the disease entity named COVID-19 (coronavirus disease-19). Similarly, in 2003, SARS-CoV that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was identified. This has raised concerns about coronaviruses as disease-causing agents in both humans and animals. This literature review provides an extensive discussion of the relationship between metal exposure and menopause in women with a particular focus on the impact of menopause on the course of COVID-19 and the relationship between metals and SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans. ABSTRACT: A growing number of reports point to the possible role of environmental factors in determining the age of onset of menopause. Specific metals, such as mercury, cadmium, arsenic and lead can lead to fertility disorders, to endocrine dysregulation, and in addition, their high blood concentrations correlate with the onset of menopause. Changing concentrations of hormones in the blood during this period of a woman’s life can also have an impact on SARS-CoV-2 infection, and excessively high or low levels of metals may also be an important predictor for the course of COVID-19. Postmenopausal women are exposed to greater risk of serum biochemical changes, and with the possibility of nutritional disturbances, particularly involving trace minerals, the risk of age-related diseases is very high during this period. These adverse changes in serum trace minerals should be taken into consideration for the early diagnosis and prevention of menopause-related diseases. Dietary supplementation may be necessary, especially where levels are significantly reduced. We performed a manual search of scientific articles cited in major electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and Google Scholar) in November 2022 to identify studies relevant to the relationship between metals, COVID-19 and menopause. The effects of metals on the course of menopause is a broad topic and should certainly still be a subject of research, due to, among other things, continuing environmental pollution and the use of metals in many areas of life.