High Serum Testosterone Is Associated With Reduced Risk of Cardiovascular Events in Elderly Men
Key result
High serum testosterone is linked to ~30% fewer cardiovascular events in elderly men.
- HR 0.70
- 95% CI 0.56 to 0.88
- P=0.009 (trend)
- n=2,416
Why the study?
Few prospective studies have demonstrated a protective link between endogenous testosterone and cardiovascular events, and the predictive value of SHBG for cardiovascular events is unclear.
Does high baseline serum testosterone predict a reduced risk of cardiovascular events in community-dwelling elderly men?
Population
2,416 community-dwelling elderly men aged 69 to 81 years in Sweden
Comparison
Highest quartile of serum total testosterone (≥550 ng/dl) vs three lower quartiles
Design
Prospective population-based cohort study
Follow-up
Median 5 years
Authors
Discussion
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Implication
In community-dwelling elderly men, high endogenous serum testosterone (≥550 ng/dl) is independently associated with a significantly reduced 5-year risk of cardiovascular events.
Key Points
- To determine whether baseline serum levels of total testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin predict cardiovascular events in community-dwelling elderly men.
- The prospective population-based MrOS Sweden study enrolled 2,416 men aged 69 to 81 years with a median follow-up of 5 years.
- Baseline serum total testosterone was measured using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, sex hormone-binding globulin was measured by immunoradiometric assay, and cardiovascular outcomes were obtained from central Swedish registers.
- A total of 485 cardiovascular events occurred during follow-up, with risk inversely associated across quartiles of testosterone (trend p=0.009) and sex hormone-binding globulin (trend p=0.012).
- Men in the highest quartile of testosterone (≥550 ng/dl) had a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular events compared to men in the lower three quartiles (HR 0.70; 95% CI, 0.56 to 0.88), which remained consistent in men without prior cardiovascular disease (HR 0.71; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.95).
Study Design
Type
Cohort (n=2,416)
Structured PICO
Does high baseline serum testosterone predict a reduced risk of cardiovascular events in community-dwelling elderly men?
P
Population
2,416 community-dwelling elderly men aged 69 to 81 years in Sweden, followed for a median of 5 years to assess cardiovascular events.
E
Exposure
Highest quartile of baseline serum total testosterone (≥550 ng/dl)
C
Comparator
3 lower quartiles of baseline serum total testosterone (<550 ng/dl)
O
Outcome
Cardiovascular events at median 5-year follow-uphard clinical
Main Result
Hazard Ratio: 0.7 (95% CI 0.56–0.88)
p-value: p=0.009 (trend)
In community-dwelling elderly men, high endogenous serum testosterone (≥550 ng/dl) is independently associated with a significantly reduced 5-year risk of cardiovascular events.
Cite This Study
Ohlsson et al. (2011) conducted a cohort in Cardiovascular risk (n=2,416). High serum testosterone (≥550 ng/dl) vs. 3 lower quartiles of testosterone (<550 ng/dl) was evaluated on Cardiovascular events (HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.56 to 0.88, p=0.009 (trend)). High serum testosterone (≥550 ng/dl) in elderly men was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular events compared with the 3 lower quartiles (HR 0.70; 95% CI 0.56-0.88).