Treatment of androgen deficiency in the aging male

    Fertility and Sterility
    |September 15, 2004
    PubMed

    Insights

    Guidelines for androgen replacement therapy in older men exist, but limited clinical trials show insufficient evidence that declining testosterone causes a deficiency treatable by therapy.

    Area of Science:

    • Endocrinology
    • Geriatrics
    • Men's Health

    Background:

    • Aging is associated with declining testosterone levels in men.
    • Existing guidelines for androgen replacement therapy (ART) in older men have been proposed.
    • The evidence base supporting ART in this population is limited.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To evaluate the current evidence supporting androgen replacement therapy in aging men.
    • To determine if testosterone decline in aging men constitutes a treatable androgen deficiency.

    Main Methods:

    • Review of existing clinical trial data on androgen replacement therapy.
    • Analysis of the link between testosterone decline and health outcomes in older men.

    Main Results:

    • The data supporting ART are derived from a small number of clinical trials.
    • It remains unproven that testosterone decline in aging men leads to a deficiency state.
    • Health-related outcomes potentially improved by ART have not been definitively established.

    Conclusions:

    • Further robust clinical trials are needed to establish the efficacy and necessity of ART in aging men.
    • The current evidence is insufficient to broadly recommend androgen replacement therapy for testosterone decline in older men.

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