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Testosterone, diabetes mellitus, and the metabolic syndrome

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Abstract

Metabolic syndrome is characterized by insulin insensitivity, central obesity dyslipidemia, and hypertension. It is recognized as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in men; by the time metabolic syndrome is diagnosed, however, most men already have entrenched cardiovascular disease. A reliable early warning sign is needed to alert physicians to those at risk for metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. Low serum testosterone level has emerged as a reliable prognosticator of metabolic syndrome in men whose testosterone deficiency is genetic (Klinefelter syndrome), iatrogenic following surgery for testicular cancer, pharmacologically induced by gonadotropin-releasing hormone during prostate cancer treatment, or a natural consequence of aging. One third of men with type 2 diabetes mellitus are now recognized as testosterone deficient. Emerging evidence suggests that testosterone therapy may be able to reverse some aspects of metabolic syndrome.

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  1. Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Hospital, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Richard F. Spark

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  1. Richard F. Spark
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Correspondence to Richard F. Spark.

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Spark, R.F. Testosterone, diabetes mellitus, and the metabolic syndrome. Curr Urol Rep 8, 467–471 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11934-007-0050-4

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