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Endogenous testosterone and the prospective association with carotid atherosclerosis in men: the Tromsø study

  • Cardiovascular Disease
  • Published:
European Journal of Epidemiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The role of testosterone in the development of cardiovascular disease is controversial. Recent observational studies, however, suggest a protective role of normal endogenous testosterone levels in the development of atherosclerosis. In a cohort from the Tromsø study, 1,101 men had both hormone-levels measured and the right carotid artery examined by ultrasound in 1994 and 2001. We studied the prospective association between sex hormone-levels and progression of carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and plaque area from 1994 to 2001. We also performed a cross-sectional study of 2,290 men from the population in 2001. The data were analysed by univariate correlations, analyses of covariance and multiple linear regression analyses. In the cross-sectional study, we found an inverse association between testosterone levels and total carotid plaque area (P < 0.05), after adjusting for age, systolic blood pressure, smoking and use of lipid-lowering drugs. We found no prospective associations between sex hormone-levels and change in plaque area or IMT from 1994 to 2001. The lack of prospective associations in our study may be due to increased use of anti-hypertensive and lipid-lowering drugs from 1994 baseline to follow-up.

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Abbreviations

BMI:

Body mass index

CCA:

Common carotid artery

HDL:

High density lipid cholesterol

IMT:

Intima media thickness

SHBG:

Sex hormone-binding globulin

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a grant from The Northern Norway Region Health Authority.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway

    T. Vikan, S. H. Johnsen & J. Svartberg

  2. Department of Medicine, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway

    T. Vikan & J. Svartberg

  3. Department of Neurology, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway

    S. H. Johnsen

  4. Institute of Community Medicine, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway

    H. Schirmer & I. Njølstad

  5. Department of Cardiology, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway

    H. Schirmer

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  1. T. Vikan
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  2. S. H. Johnsen
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  5. J. Svartberg
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Correspondence to T. Vikan.

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Vikan, T., Johnsen, S.H., Schirmer, H. et al. Endogenous testosterone and the prospective association with carotid atherosclerosis in men: the Tromsø study. Eur J Epidemiol 24, 289–295 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-009-9322-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-009-9322-2

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