Aging Male Questionnaire in normal and complaining men

Area of Science:

• Andrology
• Endocrinology
• Geriatrics

Background:

• Androgen deficiency detection relies on symptom questionnaires, but hormone level correlations are unclear.
• Aging Male Symptoms (AMS) scale assesses sexual, psychological, and somatic variables.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate AMS scores and sex hormones in men to define androgen deficiency parameters.
• To establish relationships between AMS scores and hormone levels in aging men.

Main Methods:

• Interviewed 903 men via phone and collected data from 539 healthy and 471 complaining men using the AMS scale.
• Excluded participants with chronic diseases, endocrine disorders, or metabolic syndrome.
• Analyzed AMS total scores and subscores (psychological, somatic, sexual) in relation to age.

Main Results:

• AMS scores correlated with age and income in both clinical and phone-surveyed groups.
• In normal men, only the sexual AMS subscore and bioavailable testosterone (BT) changed with age.
• Complaining men over 50 showed higher AMS scores and BT than normal men, with differences diminishing by age.

Conclusions:

• The AMS scale is a viable screening tool for androgen deficiency in men aged 50-65.
• The sexual AMS subscore and BT levels are crucial for identifying androgen deficiency symptoms.
• Decreased bioavailable testosterone does not fully explain the severity of sexual symptoms.