Association Between Serum Testosterone Concentration and Carotid Atherosclerosis in Men With Type 2 Diabetes
- Michiaki Fukui, MD1,
- Yoshihiro Kitagawa, MD1,
- Naoto Nakamura, MD2,
- Mayuko Kadono, MD1,
- Shinichi Mogami, MD1,
- Chizuko Hirata, MD1,
- Naoko Ichio, MD1,
- Katsuya Wada, MD1,
- Goji Hasegawa, MD2 and
- Toshikazu Yoshikawa, MD2
- 1Department of Endocrinology and Hematology, Osaka General Hospital of West Japan Railway Company, Osaka, Japan
- 2First Department of Internal Medicine, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
Abstract
OBJECTIVE—There is evidence to suggest that low concentrations of testosterone are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in men. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between serum testosterone concentration and carotid atherosclerosis as well as major cardiovascular risk factors in men with type 2 diabetes.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—Serum free and total testosterone concentrations were measured in 253 consecutive men with type 2 diabetes. The relationships between serum testosterone concentration and carotid atherosclerosis, determined by ultrasonographically evaluated intima-media thickness (IMT) and plaque score (PS) in a subgroup of 154 diabetic patients, as well as major cardiovascular risk factors, including age, blood pressure, and lipid concentrations, were evaluated.
RESULTS—Inverse correlations were found between free testosterone (F-tes) concentration and IMT (r = −0.206, P = 0.0103) and between F-tes concentration and PS (r = −0.334, P < 0.001). The IMT and PS were significantly greater in patients with lower concentrations of F-tes (<10 pg/ml) than in patients with higher concentrations of F-tes (1.01 ± 0.29 vs. 0.91 ± 0.26 mm, P = 0.038; 4.5 ± 3.8 vs. 2.4 ± 3.2, P = 0.0003; respectively). An inverse correlation was found between serum F-tes concentration and age (r = −0.420, P < 0.0001). A positive correlation was found between serum F-tes and total cholesterol concentrations (r = 0.145, P = 0.0238).
CONCLUSIONS—Serum F-tes concentration is inversely associated with carotid atherosclerosis determined by ultrasonographically evaluated IMT and PS in men with type 2 diabetes.
- Cr, creatinine
- CVD, cardiovascular disease
- F-tes, free testosterone
- IMT, intima-media thickness
- NDR, no diabetic retinopathy
- PDR, proliferative diabetic retinopathy
- PS, plaque score
- SDR, simple diabetic retinopathy
- T-tes, total testosterone
Footnotes
-
Address correspondence and reprint requests to Michiaki Fukui, MD, Department of Endocrinology and Hematology, Osaka General Hospital of West Japan Railway Company, 1-2-22 Matsuzaki-cho, Abeno-ku, Osaka 545-0053, Japan. E-mail: sayarinapm{at}hotmail.com.
Received for publication 30 September 2002 and accepted in revised form 31 December 2002.
A table elsewhere in this issue shows conventional and Système International (SI) units and conversion factors for many substances.
See accompanying editorial, p. 1929.
- DIABETES CARE
