Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) in collaboration with researchers from Lahey Clinic Northshore, Peabody, Mass., believe that androgen deficiency might be the underlying cause for a variety of common clinical conditions, including diabetes, erectile dysfunction, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease (CVD). These findings appear in the September/October issue of the Journal of Andrology.
Androgens are a steroid hormone, such as testosterone, that controls the development and maintenance of male characteristics. In a number of studies, androgen deficiency has been linked to an increased mortality in men. Testosterone (T) is an anabolic hormone with a wide range of beneficial effects on men's health. However, according to the BUSM researchers, the therapeutic role of T in men's health remains a hotly debated issue for a number of reasons, including the purported risk of prostate cancer.
To evaluate the relationships between T deficiency and risk factors of CVD and to determine the implications of androgen deficiency in men with cardiovascular risk factors, the researchers performed a comprehensive literature search with the use of Pub Med from 1980 through 2008. Relevant articles pertinent to androgen deficiency and vascular disease were evaluated and it was determined that a relationship did exist between androgen deficiency and CVD.