Top in endocrinology: Benefits of testosterone therapy; liver fibrosis tests scrutinized
A recent analysis found that factors like age, BMI and diabetes status did not significantly affect improvements in sexual function or quality of life for men receiving testosterone replacement therapy.
“However, due to more severe baseline symptoms, the absolute level of sexual function reached during testosterone might be lower in older men and men with obesity compared with younger men and those who are not obese,” Channa N. Jayasena, MA, PhD, MRCP, FRCPath, at Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, and colleagues wrote in the study.
It was the top story in endocrinology last week.
In another top story, researchers found that noninvasive liver fibrosis tests perform poorly. For example, physicians who use the FIB-4 index to initially screen patients could miss close to half of cases of cirrhosis. The test was also less likely to detect liver fibrosis in Black adults vs. other racial-ethnic groups.
Read these and more top stories in endocrinology below:
Short-term testosterone therapy improves quality of life, sexual function for men
Testosterone therapy improves sexual function and quality of life for men with a baseline serum testosterone of less than 12 nmol/L, though less improvement was observed for older men and those with obesity, data show. Read more.
Noninvasive tests may fail to detect liver fibrosis, especially among Black adults
Vibration-controlled transient elastography and serum-based noninvasive tests show a significant discrepancy in detecting liver fibrosis, according to study findings published in Obesity. Read more.
Insulin resistance does not affect finerenone efficacy for lowering CV, kidney risks
Adults with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease derive similar cardiovascular and kidney benefits from finerenone — marketed in the United States as Kerendia — regardless of their level of insulin resistance, according to findings published in Diabetes Care. Read more.
Hearing loss with teprotumumab more likely for adults with baseline hearing dysfunction
Hearing loss occurred more frequently among adults who received teprotumumab for the treatment of thyroid eye disease if they had impaired hearing at the start of therapy, according to a research letter published in Thyroid. Read more.
Diabetes-related mortality, pediatric DKA rates increased during COVID-19 pandemic
Most studies found increases in diabetes-related mortality for adults and diabetes ketoacidosis incidence among youths during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with before the pandemic, according to a systematic review. Read more.