Low T is an independent risk factor for metabolic syndrome (MetS) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) development; patients with these clinical conditions should be screened for hypogonadism. Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) ameliorates libido, improves bone mass, improves insulin resistance, reduces fat mass and increases lean body mass with no change in body weight.
There are no evidences that testosterone therapy increases the risk of prostate cancer but it is certain that testosterone stimulates growth of metastatic prostate cancer TRT has an antiarrhythmic and a vasodilator effect, independent of the nitric oxide effect Patients with heart failure have low levels of testosterone, and TRT improves exercise capacity Men with low testosterone have risk for premature death Cardiovascular adverse effects of testosterone therapy are under discussion We need large prospective placebo-controlled randomized trials to determine definitively the cardiovascular risks of TRT
Revista medico-chirurgicală̆ a Societă̆ţ̜ii de Medici ş̧i Naturaliş̧ti din Iaş̧i 0000 [Epub]
Maria-Christina Ungureanu, Irina-Iuliana Costache, Cristina Preda, Voichiţa Mogoş, Carmen Vulpoi, Letiţia Leuştean