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Serum testosterone levels using the radioimmunoassay method in healthy Japanese male volunteers

  • Original Article
  • Andrology
  • Published:
Reproductive Medicine and Biology

Abstract

Aim

The objective of the present study was to measure serum free and total testosterone values using the radioimmunoassay (RIA) method in healthy Japanese male volunteers with no current diseases.

Methods

Two hundred and fifty-one healthy men who had no medical illness and received no current medical treatment were selected from 405 male volunteers. Free and total testosterone were measured in blood samples using the RIA method.

Results

Free but not total testosterone significantly decreased with age. Mean free testosterone values from morning blood samples for each age decade from the 20s to the 70s were 17.0, 14.6, 12.5, 10.6, 8.9 and 8.5 pg/mL, respectively. Mean total testosterone values from morning blood samples for each age decade from the 20s to the 70s were 4.7, 4.2, 4.4, 4.2, 4.2, 4.0 and 4.0 ng/mL, respectively. The rates of healthy volunteers that fell within the standard reference ranges for free and total testosterone were 97% and 97%, respectively. However, 19% of the total testosterone values were considered to indicate hypogonadism according to the International Society for the Study of the Aging Male (ISSAM) criteria (< 3.17 ng/mL).

Conclusions

Our data corresponded to the standard reference ranges of Japanese men but not the ISSAM criteria. It may be more appropriate to establish a standard reference range for serum testosterone for individual countries.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sanjukai Hospital, Sapporo, Hokkaido

    Yoshikazu Sato, Hitoshi Tanda, Shuji Kato, Shigeki Onishi, Hisao Nakajima, Akihito Nanbu, Toshikazu Nitta, Mikio Koroku, Keigo Akagashi & Tatsuo Hanzawa

  2. Zensyuukai Hospital, Gunma

    Tadatoshi Shinozaki

  3. Kouchi-Takasu Hospital, Kouchi

    Naoaki Terao

  4. Fujisaki Hospital, Saga

    Nobuta Fujisaki & Morimasa Kuwabara

  5. Niimura Hospital, Kagoshima, Japan

    Kenji Niimura

Authors
  1. Yoshikazu Sato
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  2. Hitoshi Tanda
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  3. Shuji Kato
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  4. Shigeki Onishi
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  5. Hisao Nakajima
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  6. Akihito Nanbu
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  7. Toshikazu Nitta
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  8. Mikio Koroku
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  9. Keigo Akagashi
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  10. Tatsuo Hanzawa
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  11. Tadatoshi Shinozaki
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  12. Naoaki Terao
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  13. Nobuta Fujisaki
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  14. Morimasa Kuwabara
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  15. Kenji Niimura
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yoshikazu Sato.

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Cite this article

Sato, Y., Tanda, H., Kato, S. et al. Serum testosterone levels using the radioimmunoassay method in healthy Japanese male volunteers. Reprod Med Biol 5, 37–41 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1447-0578.2006.00121.x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1447-0578.2006.00121.x

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