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Changes in androgen status, androgen-sensitive endpoints linked in older men
In older men, androgen status progressively declines over time, and changes are significantly correlated with androgen-sensitive endpoints, study results show.
David J. Handelsman, MBBS , PhD, FRACP, foundation professor and director of the ANZAC Research Institute in Sydney, and colleagues evaluated data from the CHAMP study on men aged at least 70 years assessed at baseline (2005-2007; n = 1,705), 2 years (n = 1,367) and 5 years (n = 958).
Researchers sought to determine the temporal relationships between age-specific androgen status and muscle, hemoglobin and prostate-specific antigen (PSA).
Changes in testosterone yielded significant positive correlations with changes in lean mass, grip strength, walking speed and hemoglobin; there was a negative correlation with PSA over time. In multivariate-adjusted models, similar significant relationships remained with all androgen-sensitive endpoints and changes in serum testosterone, dihydrotestosterone and calculated free testosterone. Estrone was positively linked to lean mass, walking speed and hemoglobin, but not grip strength and PSA, whereas estradiol was linked only to hemoglobin. Researchers noted significant interactions for serum testosterone or estradiol and age with walking speed and hemoglobin; no interaction was found for muscle mass, strength or PSA.
“Androgen status, whether represented by serum [testosterone], [dihydrotestosterone] or [calculated free testosterone], declined progressively over time in older men and these changes were associated significantly with corresponding changes in androgen-sensitive endpoints,” the researchers wrote. “A novel finding of this study is that serum [estradiol] increased progressively as men grew older, while serum levels of the proestrogen [estrone] declined. The opposite age-related changes in serum [estradiol] and [estrone] among older men warrants further investigation for their biological and biomarker implications.” – by Amber Cox
Disclosure: Handelsman reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the full study for a list of all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.