TY - JOUR
T1 - Endogenous testosterone and mortality in men
T2 - A systematic review and meta-analysis
AU - Araujo, Andre B.
AU - Dixon, Julia M.
AU - Suarez, Elizabeth A.
AU - Murad, M. Hassan
AU - Guey, Lin T.
AU - Wittert, Gary A.
PY - 2011/10
Y1 - 2011/10
N2 - Context: Low testosterone levels have been associated with outcomes that reduce survival in men. Objective: Our objective was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies to evaluate the association between endogenous testosterone and mortality. Data Sources: Data sources included MEDLINE (1966 to December 2010), EMBASE (1988 to December 2010), and reference lists. Study Selection: Eligible studies were published English-language observational studies of men that reported the association between endogenous testosterone and all-cause or cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. A two-stage process was used for study selection. 1) Working independently and in duplicate, reviewers screened a subset (10%) of abstracts. Results indicated 96% agreement, and thereafter, abstract screening was conducted in singlicate. 2) All full-text publications were reviewed independently and in duplicate for eligibility. Data Extraction: Reviewers working independently and in duplicate determined methodological quality of studies and extracted descriptive, quality, and outcome data. Data Synthesis: Of 820 studies identified, 21 were included in the systematic review, and 12 were eligible for meta-analysis [n = 11 studies of all-cause mortality (16,184 subjects); n = 7 studies of CVD mortality (11,831 subjects)]. Subject mean age and testosterone level were 61 yr and 487 ng/dl, respectively, and mean follow-up time was 9.7 yr. Between-study heterogeneity was observed among studies of all-cause (P<.001) and CVD mortality (P=0.06), limiting the ability to provide validsummary estimates. Heterogeneity in all-cause mortality (higher relative risks) was observed in studies that included older subjects (P = 0.020), reported lower testosterone levels (P = 0.018), followed subjects for a shorter time period (P = 0.010), and sampled blood throughout the day (P = 0.030). Conclusion: Low endogenous testosterone levels are associated with increased risk of all-cause and CVD death in community-based studies of men, but considerable between-study heterogeneity, which was related to study and subject characteristics, suggests that effects are driven by differences between cohorts (e.g. in underlying health status).
AB - Context: Low testosterone levels have been associated with outcomes that reduce survival in men. Objective: Our objective was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies to evaluate the association between endogenous testosterone and mortality. Data Sources: Data sources included MEDLINE (1966 to December 2010), EMBASE (1988 to December 2010), and reference lists. Study Selection: Eligible studies were published English-language observational studies of men that reported the association between endogenous testosterone and all-cause or cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. A two-stage process was used for study selection. 1) Working independently and in duplicate, reviewers screened a subset (10%) of abstracts. Results indicated 96% agreement, and thereafter, abstract screening was conducted in singlicate. 2) All full-text publications were reviewed independently and in duplicate for eligibility. Data Extraction: Reviewers working independently and in duplicate determined methodological quality of studies and extracted descriptive, quality, and outcome data. Data Synthesis: Of 820 studies identified, 21 were included in the systematic review, and 12 were eligible for meta-analysis [n = 11 studies of all-cause mortality (16,184 subjects); n = 7 studies of CVD mortality (11,831 subjects)]. Subject mean age and testosterone level were 61 yr and 487 ng/dl, respectively, and mean follow-up time was 9.7 yr. Between-study heterogeneity was observed among studies of all-cause (P<.001) and CVD mortality (P=0.06), limiting the ability to provide validsummary estimates. Heterogeneity in all-cause mortality (higher relative risks) was observed in studies that included older subjects (P = 0.020), reported lower testosterone levels (P = 0.018), followed subjects for a shorter time period (P = 0.010), and sampled blood throughout the day (P = 0.030). Conclusion: Low endogenous testosterone levels are associated with increased risk of all-cause and CVD death in community-based studies of men, but considerable between-study heterogeneity, which was related to study and subject characteristics, suggests that effects are driven by differences between cohorts (e.g. in underlying health status).
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U2 - 10.1210/jc.2011-1137
DO - 10.1210/jc.2011-1137
M3 - Review article
C2 - 21816776
AN - SCOPUS:80053558302
SN - 0021-972X
VL - 96
SP - 3007
EP - 3019
JO - Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
JF - Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
IS - 10
ER -