185 Prevalence of Bone Density Loss in Men with Low and Equivocal Testosterone Levels

Abstract

Low testosterone (T) levels are associated with bone mineral density (BMD) loss. Guidelines have suggested 300 ng/dl as a reasonable cut-off for diagnosing T deficiency (TD). Clinical experience suggests that some men with T levels in the 300-400 range are symptomatic and may have signs of TD such as BMD loss. This study compares BMD in men with low versus equivocal T levels. To assess the impact of low and equivocal T levels on BMD loss. The study population included men ≥ 50 years old who had a baseline DEXA scan and T levels between 100-399 ng/dL. The patients were divided into three groups based on a morning total T level: low T levels of 100-199 ng/dL and 200-299 ng/dL and equivocal T levels of 300-399 ng/dL. Men using chronic proton pump inhibitors (PPI) and corticosteroids were excluded. BMD was measure using dual-energy x-ray absorptionometry (DEXA). Comparison between T groups was conducted using a series of t-tests and Chi-square tests. A subset analysis was performed for men who received chemotherapy as a surrogate marker for years of TD. For this group of men, correlation between lowest T-score and time since chemotherapy was assessed.