Late-onset hypogonadism

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Late-onset hypogonadism
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Late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) or testosterone deficiency syndrome (TDS)[1][2] is a condition in older men characterized by measurably low testosterone levels and clinical symptoms mostly of a sexual nature, including decreased desire for mating, fewer spontaneous erections, and erectile dysfunction.[3] It is the result of a gradual drop in testosterone; a steady decline in testosterone levels of about 1% per year can happen and is well documented in both men and women.[4][5]

Signs and symptoms

Some men present with symptoms, but they have normal testosterone levels, while others with low testosterone levels have no symptoms. The reasons for this phenomenon are currently unknown.[3][6]

In their late 40s and early 50s, some men may experience depression, loss of libido, erectile dysfunction, and other physical and emotional symptoms. These symptoms include irritability, loss of muscle mass and reduced ability to exercise, weight gain, lack of energy, difficulty sleeping, or poor concentration. It is important to note that many of these symptoms may arise from a midlife crisis or as the results of a long-term unhealthy lifestyle (smoking, excess drinking, overeating, lack of exercise) and may be best addressed by lifestyle changes, therapy, or antidepressants.[7]

Causes

Testosterone levels are well-documented to decline with aging at about 1% per year in both men and women after a certain age; the causes are not well understood.[3][4][5][8][9]

Diagnosis

As of 2016, the International Society for the Study of the Aging Male defines late-onset hypogonadism as a series of symptoms in older adults related to testosterone deficiency that combines features of both primary and secondary hypogonadism; the European Male Aging Study (a prospective study of ~3000 men)[10] defined the condition by the presence of at least three sexual symptoms (e.g. reduced libido, reduced spontaneous erections, and erectile dysfunction) and total testosterone concentrations less than 11 nmol/L (3.2 ng/mL) and free testosterone concentrations less than 220 pmol/L (64 pg/mL).[3]

If a person has symptoms of late-onset hypogonadism, testosterone is measured by taking blood in the morning on at least two days; while

progestins.[6] If levels are low, conditions that cause primary and secondary hypogonadism need to be ruled out.[6][11][12]

Screening

Due to difficulty and expense of testing, and the ambiguity of the results, screening is not recommended.[3][6] While some clinical instruments (standard surveys) had been developed as of 2016, their specificity was too low to be useful clinically.[3]

Management

See also: Androgen replacement therapy

The significance of a decrease in testosterone levels is debated and its treatment with replacement is controversial. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated in 2015 that neither the benefits nor the safety of testosterone have been established in older men with low testosterone levels.[13] Testosterone replacement therapy should only be started if low levels have been confirmed;[11] in the US, this confirmation is not done about 25% of the time, as of 2015.[12] Testosterone levels should also be monitored during therapy.[11]

Androgen replacement therapy formulations and dosages used in men
Route Medication Major brand names Form Dosage
Oral Testosteronea – Tablet 400–800 mg/day (in divided doses)
Testosterone undecanoate Andriol, Jatenzo Capsule 40–80 mg/2–4x day (with meals)
Methyltestosteroneb Android, Metandren, Testred Tablet 10–50 mg/day
Fluoxymesteroneb Halotestin, Ora-Testryl, Ultandren Tablet 5–20 mg/day
Metandienoneb Dianabol Tablet 5–15 mg/day
Mesteroloneb Proviron Tablet 25–150 mg/day
Sublingual Testosteroneb Testoral Tablet 5–10 mg 1–4x/day
Methyltestosteroneb Metandren, Oreton Methyl Tablet 10–30 mg/day
Buccal Testosterone Striant Tablet 30 mg 2x/day
Methyltestosteroneb Metandren, Oreton Methyl Tablet 5–25 mg/day
Transdermal
 Testosterone AndroGel, Testim, TestoGel Gel 25–125 mg/day
Androderm, AndroPatch, TestoPatch Non-scrotal patch 2.5–15 mg/day
Testoderm Scrotal patch 4–6 mg/day
Axiron Axillary solution 30–120 mg/day
Androstanolone (DHT) Andractim Gel 100–250 mg/day
Rectal Testosterone Rektandron, Testosteronb Suppository 40 mg 2–3x/day
SC
Tooltip subcutaneous injection)		 Testosterone Andronaq, Sterotate, Virosterone Aqueous suspension 10–50 mg 2–3x/week
Testosterone propionateb Testoviron Oil solution 10–50 mg 2–3x/week
Testosterone enanthate Delatestryl Oil solution 50–250 mg 1x/1–4 weeks
Xyosted Auto-injector 50–100 mg 1x/week
Testosterone cypionate Depo-Testosterone Oil solution 50–250 mg 1x/1–4 weeks
Testosterone isobutyrate Agovirin Depot Aqueous suspension 50–100 mg 1x/1–2 weeks
Testosterone phenylacetateb Perandren, Androject Oil solution 50–200 mg 1x/3–5 weeks
Mixed testosterone esters Sustanon 100, Sustanon 250 Oil solution 50–250 mg 1x/2–4 weeks
Testosterone undecanoate Aveed, Nebido Oil solution 750–1,000 mg 1x/10–14 weeks
Testosterone buciclatea – Aqueous suspension 600–1,000 mg 1x/12–20 weeks
Implant Testosterone Testopel Pellet 150–1,200 mg/3–6 months
Notes: Men produce about 3 to 11 mg testosterone per day (mean 7 mg/day in young men). Footnotes: a = Never marketed. b = No longer used and/or no longer marketed. Sources: See template.

Adverse effects

See also: Testosterone (medication) § Adverse effects

Adverse effects of testosterone supplementation may include increased cardiovascular (CV) events (including

heart attacks) and deaths, especially in men over 65 and men with pre-existing heart conditions.[3] The potential for CV risks from testosterone therapy led the FDA to issue a requirement in 2015 that testosterone pharmaceutical labels include warning information about the possibility of an increased risk of heart attacks and stroke.[3][13] However, the data are mixed, so the European Medicines Agency, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, and the American College of Endocrinology have stated that no consistent evidence shows that testosterone therapy either increases or decreases cardiovascular risk.[3]

Other significant adverse effects of testosterone supplementation include acceleration of pre-existing prostate cancer growth; increased hematocrit, which can require venipuncture to treat; and, exacerbation of sleep apnea.[3]

Adverse effects may also include minor side effects such as acne and oily skin, as well as significant hair loss and/or thinning of the hair, which may be prevented with

5-alpha reductase inhibitors ordinarily used for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia, such as finasteride or dutasteride.[14]

Exogenous testosterone may also cause suppression of spermatogenesis, leading to, in some cases, infertility.[3]

Prognosis

As of 2015, the evidence is inconclusive as to whether testosterone replacement therapy can help with erectile dysfunction in men with late-onset hypogonadism.[12] It appears that testosterone replacement therapy may benefit men with symptoms of frailty who have late-onset hypogonadism.[12]

Epidemiology

The epidemiology is not clear; 20% of men in their 60s and 30% of men in their 70s have low testosterone;[4][12] around 5% of men between 70 and 79 have both low testosterone and the symptoms, so are diagnosed with late-onset hypogonadism.[4] The UK National Health Service describes it as rare.[7]

History

The impact of low levels of

fatigue, insomnia, hot flushes, and sweating. Heller and Myers found that their subjects had lower than normal levels of testosterone, and that symptoms decreased dramatically when patients were given replacement doses of testosterone.[15][16]

Society and culture

The 1997 book Male Menopause[17][18] by Jed Diamond, a psychologist with a PhD in international health,[19] fueled popular interest in the concept of "andropause".[citation needed] Diamond regards andropause as a change of life in middle-aged men which has hormonal, physical, psychological, interpersonal, social, sexual, and spiritual aspects. Diamond claims that this change occurs in all men, that it may occur as early as age 45 to 50 and more dramatically after the age of 70 in some men, and that women's and men's experiences are somewhat similar phenomena.[20][21] The medical community has rejected the term "andropause" and its supposed parallels with menopause.[22][23]

Thomas Perls and David J. Handelsman, in a 2015 editorial in the

overdiagnosed and overtreated.[24]
Perls and Handelsman note that in the US, "sales of testosterone increased from $324 million in 2002 to $2 billion in 2012, and the number of testosterone doses prescribed climbed from 100 million in 2007 to half a billion in 2012, not including the additional contributions from compounding pharmacies, Internet, and direct-to-patient clinic sales."[24]

Terminology

Late-onset hypogonadism is an

aging.[3]

The terms "male menopause" and "andropause" are used in the popular media but are misleading, as they imply a sudden change in hormone levels similar to what women experience in menopause.[7] A decrease in libido in men as a result of age is sometimes colloquially referred to as penopause.[25]

Research directions

As of 2016, research was necessary to find better ways to measure testosterone and to be better able to understand the measurements in any given person, and to understand why some people with low testosterone do not present with symptoms and some with seemingly adequate levels do present with symptoms.[3] Research was also necessary to better understand the cardiovascular risks of testosterone replacement therapy in older men.[3]

A relationship between late-onset hypogonadism and risk of Alzheimer's disease has been hypothesized, and some small clinical studies have been conducted to investigate the prevention of Alzheimer's disease in men with late-onset hypogonadism; as of 2009, results were inconclusive.[26]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Middle-age dread". 15 June 2013.
  2. An Irishman Abroad (Podcast) (297 ed.). SoundCloud. Archived
    from the original on 27 May 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  3. ^
    PMID 26614257
    .
  4. ^
    PMID 25092967
    .
  5. ^
    S2CID 10928315
    .
  6. ^
    S2CID 30479724
    .
  7. ^ a b c "Male Menopause". www.nhs.uk. NHS Choices. April 8, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  8. ^ "Could you have low testosterone?: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia". NIH: Medline Plus. September 18, 2014.
  9. PMID 24407185
    .
  10. S2CID 15635078
    .
  11. ^
    S2CID 20816995
    .
  12. ^
    PMID 26205546
    .
  13. ^
    New York Times
    . Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  14. PMID 25360240
    .
  15. PMID 27132584
    .
  16. doi:10.1001/jama.1944.02850430006003
    .
  17. ^ Diamond, Jed (1997). Male Menopause (reprint ed.).
    ISBN 9781570711435
    . Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  18. ISBN 978-1-57071-397-2
    .
  19. ^ James, Susan Donaldson (8 August 2009). "Low-T Syndrome: Another Word for Male Menopause". ABC News. ABC News Internet Ventures. Retrieved 7 August 2020. 'Male menopause is real,' said Jed Diamond, a psychologist and author of a series of books on the topic, including, 'Irritable Male Syndrome.' [...] 'Men are more in denial about this than women,' said Diamond, who has a Ph.D. in international health and a master's degree in social work.
  20. ISBN 978-1-57071-433-7
    .
  21. ISBN 978-0-9707061-0-2
    .
  22. ^ "The 'male menopause'". NHS. NHS. 19 February 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2020. The 'male menopause' (sometimes called the andropause) is an unhelpful term sometimes used in the media.
  23. ^ Compare: Gorski, David (November 25, 2013). ""Low T": The triumph of marketing over science « Science-Based Medicine". Science-Based Medicine. There is a paucity of evidence that 'low T' is the problem that it is advertised to be and even less evidence that testosterone replacement therapy corrects the problems attributed to 'low T.' Before pharmaceutical companies launch big money campaigns to make millions of men 'aware' of low T, they should be required to do what they have to do before introducing a new drug for a new indication: the appropriate large-scale randomized trials to demonstrate that testosterone therapy for otherwise-healthy aging men whose testosterone levels are below the normal range for young men does more good than harm. Right now, we don't have that evidence, and we're not likely to get it from pharmaceutical companies.
  24. ^
    PMID 25809947
    .
  25. ^ Gooren, L. J. G. "The age‐related decline of androgen levels in men: clinically significant?." British journal of urology 78.5 (1996): 763-768.
  26. PMID 19011295. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help
    )

External links
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