Effect of intravenous testosterone on myocardial ischemia in men with coronary artery disease.
BACKGROUND
Studies on the effect of estrogen on atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD) risk in women have produced conflicting results. Similar confusion, but fewer data, exists on the effect of testosterone on CAD risk in men.


METHODS
We used 99mTc sestamibi single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging to examine the acute effect of intravenous testosterone in 32 men (mean age, 69.1 +/- 6.4 years) with provocable myocardial ischemia on standard medical therapy. Patients performed 3 exercise (n = 18) or adenosine (n = 16) stress tests during the infusion of placebo or 2 doses of testosterone designed to increase testosterone 2 or 6 times baseline.


RESULTS
Serum testosterone increased 137 +/- 58% and 488 +/- 113%, and estradiol levels increased 27 +/- 46% and 76 +/- 57%, (P <.001 for all) during the 2 testosterone infusions. There were no differences among the placebo or testosterone groups in peak heart rate, systolic blood pressure, maximal rate pressure product, perfusion imaging scores, or the onset of ST-segment depression.


CONCLUSIONS
Acute testosterone infusion has neither a beneficial nor a deleterious effect on the onset and magnitude of stress-induced myocardial ischemia in men with stable CAD.
Thompson
Paul D
PD
Division of Cardiology, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, Conn 06102-5037, USA. pthomps@harthosp.org
Ahlberg
Alan W
AW
Moyna
Niall M
NM
Duncan
Brett
B
Ferraro-Borgida
Melissa
M
White
C Michael
CM
McGill
Carol C
CC
Heller
Gary V
GV
D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi; D013739:Testosterone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013739:Testosterone; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi