Proportion and acceptance of andropause symptoms among elderly men: a study in Jakarta

To evaluate the prevalence of men with andropause based only on screening questioner (aging male symptoms, AMS) and their acceptance of the symptoms and factors, which influence the acceptance.

This cross-sectional study was performed from male visitors in Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital between February and August 2001. 40 - 90 years old, without significantly severe disease or other conditions that can affect physical, psychological, or sexual activities. They were interviewed by four trained interviewers using a standardized questionnaire, an aging males' symptoms (AMS) questionnaire consisting of 17 items including psychological, somatic and sexual questions. Degrees of andropause were calculated based on the total score of the questionnaire. The participants were also asked about the impact of the symptoms of andropause toward their quality of life (impact question), whether they could accept their condition or not. Data were analyzed using Stata version 8.2 for Windows XP computer packaged. Factors that influenced the acceptance of andropause were analyzed using logistic regression.

The proportion of andropause was 70.94 %. Among them, 193 (54.52%) participants were categorized as having mild andropause, followed by 138 (38.95%) as intermediate, and only 23 (6.5%) with severe andropause. Among the 354 participants who experienced andropause, only 124 (35.03%) could not accept their condition, while the rest 230 participants (64.97%) could accept the symptoms of andropause. The degree of andropause and marriage status can affect the acceptance of andropause. The more severe the degree of andropause, the more they cannot accept the conditions (OR 2.19, 95%CI 1.28; 3.73). The married men are more tolerant to their conditions compared to the widower (OR 2.4, 95%CI 1.08; 5.32). The white collar workers are more willing to accept the symptoms of andropause than the blue-collar workers (OR 2.07, 95%CI 1.28; 3.73).

The proportion of the andropause based only on AMS is high, but only small portion that cannot accept the condition. Married man and white-collar workers are more willing to accept the symptoms of andropause.