Testosterone, cardiovascular disease, and mortality in men: living in the dark

Abstract

Two recent observational studies1,2 and associated articles in the press3,4 have raised concerns about the potential risks associated with prescription of testosterone to older men. However, these concerns are not new and are reminiscent of the debate about hormone replacement therapy and heart disease in women that raged before the Women's Health Initiative. However, if one thing was learnt from the Women's Health Initiative, it is that cumulative observational data cannot replace well-designed and undertaken randomised clinical trials.