Testosterone replacement benefits older men with low testosterone,

Tag : testosterone undecanoate

Testosterone deficiency becomes more common with age, occurring in18 percent of 70-year-olds, said a coauthor of both studies, FaridSaad, PhD, of Berlin-headquartered Bayer Schering Pharma. Lowtestosterone levels are linked to the metabolic syndrome--a clusterof metabolic risk factors that increase the chances of developingheart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes--and other healthproblems, including loss of bone and muscle mass, depression, anddecreased libido.
Yet the risks and benefits of hormone replacement therapy areunclear in older men, he said.
Saad's research showed that restoring testosterone to normal levelsin hypogonadal, or testosterone-deficient, men led to major andprogressive improvements in features of the metabolic syndrome.Furthermore, men older than 63 benefited as much as younger men,they found. Treatment lasted a year and used a slow-release,injectable form of the hormone (testosterone undecanoate) that isnot yet available in the United States.
All 95 men in the studies (ages 34 to 69 years) had the metabolicsyndrome. To receive this diagnosis, patients must have three ofthe following five risk factors: increased waist circumference(abdominal fat), low HDL ("good") cholesterol, hightriglycerides (fats in the blood), high blood pressure, and highblood sugar.
The first study showed that testosterone treatment significantlyreduced waist circumference, total cholesterol, LDL("bad") cholesterol, triglycerides, and body mass index(a measure of body fat). Treatment also increased "good"cholesterol. Improvements were progressive over 12 months,indicating that benefits may continue past a year, Saad said.
In the second study, the researchers divided the patient populationinto three groups by age: less than 57 years, 57 to 63 years, andmore than 63 years. They found that the oldest men had similarimprovements in metabolic risk factors to the youngest men.
Additionally, the investigators looked at the degree oftestosterone deficiency before treatment. This beginning level oftestosterone deficiency did not predict the beneficial outcome,they found. Men whose subnormal testosterone levels were not as lowas the others had similar improvements in metabolic risk factors tomen with the lowest levels, according to Saad.
"We conclude that if elderly men have a deficiency oftestosterone, it is worthwhile to treat them withtestosterone," he said.
The results will be presented at The Endocrine Society's 90thAnnual Meeting in San Francisco.
Researchers from The Netherlands and Germany collaborated on thesestudies. Study participants received treatment in a hospital clinicin Bremerhaven, Germany, which provided free care and testosteronethrough the German social health care system.
Disclosure: Bayer Schering makes a brand of testosteroneundecanoate. Saad is an employee of Bayer Schering and contributedto the study design, he reported.