(18-04-2016) Serum testosterone but not leptin predicts mortality in elderly men

Aapo Lehtonen1,
Risto Huupponen2,*,
Jaakko Tuomilehto3,
Sirkku Lavonius1,
Seija Arve1,
Hannu Isoaho4,
Ilpo Huhtaniemi5 and
Reijo Tilvis6


SIR—In men ageing is associated with a gradual progressive decline of total serum testosterone concentration [1–5]. A substantial proportion of older men, ranging from 20% in 60 years old to 50% in 80 years old, have testosterone concentrations below the normal range of younger men [4]. Low testosterone associates with occurrence of various cardiovascular risk factors [6, 7], and most epidemiological studies suggest that association of testosterone with coronary artery disease is either favourable or neutral [8]. Some studies have suggested that leptin is also an independent predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality [9–11], but this association has not been seen in all studies [12]. After adjustment for age, concentration of testosterone in serum is inversely correlated with intima-media thickness of the carotid artery, whereas no such association is seen between serum leptin and carotid artery thickness [12]. Thus, endogenous testosterone may have a protective role in the development of atherosclerosis in ageing men, but information on associations between testosterone and mortality or coronary heart disease is lacking.

We performed a longitudinal 10-year study to clarify the association of endogenous testosterone and leptin with all-cause mortality in ageing men. The results suggest an association between low endogenous testosterone concentration and mortality in elderly men.

Fonte: http://ageing.oxfordjournals.org/content/37/4/461.full

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