Testosterone Replacement Therapy May Slow COPD Progression

Testosterone replacement therapy may help reduce respiratory hospitalizations and slow the progression of disease in men with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Testosterone replacement therapy may help slow the progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a new study led by a team of researchers from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. The findings of the study are published in the journal Chronic Respiratory Disease.//

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is predicted by the World Health Organization to be the third-leading cause of illness and death internationally by 2030. Low testosterone is common in men with COPD and may worsen their condition.

Testosterone Deficiency and Testosterone Replacement Therapy
Testosterone is an anabolic steroid hormone of the androgen group. It is secreted by the testes in males and is the chief male sex hormone.

‘Low testosterone is common in men with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Testosterone replacement therapy may help slow the progression of disease and reduce respiratory hospitalizations in men with COPD.’

Men with COPD have shortness of breath and often take steroid-based medications for an extended time, both of which increase their risk of low testosterone.

"Previous studies have suggested that testosterone replacement therapy may have a positive effect on lung function in men with COPD," said Jacques Baillargeon, UTMB professor in preventive medicine and community health. "However, we are the first to conduct a large-scale nationally representative study on this association."

The goal of the study was to find out whether testosterone replacement therapy reduced the risk of respiratory hospitalizations in middle-aged and older men with COPD.

Testosterone Therapy in Older Men Helps Lower Risk of Heart Attack, Stroke, Death
Possible explanations for testosterone's apparent benefits could involve body fat, insulin sensitivity, lipids, blood platelets, or other biological pathways.

Using the Clinformatics Data Mart, a database of one of the largest commercially insured populations in the U.S., Baillargeon, and colleagues examined data of 450 men aged 40 to 63 with COPD who began testosterone replacement therapy between 2005 and 2014.

They also used the national Medicare database to study data from 253 men with COPD aged 66 and older who initiated testosterone replacement therapy between 2008 and 2013.

Heart Disease Risk Not Increased by Testosterone Replacement Therapy
Testosterone replacement therapy does not increase the risk of heart related problems, says a new study.

"We found that testosterone users had a greater decrease in respiratory hospitalizations compared with non-users. Specifically, middle-aged testosterone replacement therapy users had a 4.2 percent greater decrease in respiratory hospitalizations compared with non-users, and older testosterone replacement therapy users had a 9.1 percent greater decrease in respiratory hospitalizations compared with non-users," said Baillargeon.

"The findings suggest that testosterone replacement therapy may slow the progression of disease in men with COPD."

Low Levels of Testosterone Could Lead to Oral Health Issues in Men
Lack of testosterone left macaques with periodontal disease, indicated a study that was recently published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology.

Source-Eurekalert