Pj. Snyder et al., Effect of transdermal testosterone treatment on serum lipid and apolipoprotein levels in men more than 65 years of age, AM J MED, 111(4), 2001, pp. 255-260
Citations number
27
Categorie Soggetti
General & Internal Medicine","Medical Research General Topics
PURPOSE: Because the effects of androgen replacement on lipoprotein levels
are uncertain, we sought to determine the effect of transdermal testosteron
e treatment on serum lipid and apolipoprotein levels in elderly men.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS: One hundred and eight healthy men more than 65 years
of age who had serum testosterone concentrations >1 SD below the mean for y
oung men were randomly assigned to receive either testosterone (54 men; 6 m
g/day) or placebo (54 men) transdermally in a double-blind fashion for 36 m
onths. Serum concentrations of lipids and apolipoproteins were measured, an
d cardiovascular events recorded.
RESULTS: Serum total cholesterol concentrations decreased in both the testo
sterone-treated men and placebo-treated men, but the 3-year mean ( SD) decr
eases in the two groups (testosterone treated, -17 +/- 29 mg/dL; placebo tr
eated, -12 +/- 38 mg/dL) were not significantly different from each other (
P = 0.4). Similarly, serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels
decreased in both treatment groups, but the decreases in the two groups (t
estosterone treated, - 6-24 mg/dL; placebo treated, - 16 +/- 33 mg/dL) were
similar (P = 1.0). Levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, t
riglycerides, and apolipoproteins A-I and B did not change. Lipoprotein(a)
levels increased in both groups by similar amounts (testosterone treated, 3
+/- 9 mg/dL; placebo treated, 4 +/- 6 mg/dL; P = 1.0). The number of cardi
ovascular events was small and did not differ significantly between the tes
tosterone-treated men (9 events) and the placebo-treated men (5 events) dur
ing the 3-year study (relative risk = 1.8; 95% confidence interval: 0.7 to
5.0).
CONCLUSIONS: As compared with placebo, transdermal testosterone treatment o
f healthy elderly men for 3 years did not affect any of the lipid or apolip
oprotein parameters that we measured. The effect of testosterone treatment
on cardiovascular events was unclear, because the number of events was smal
l.