A short version of the ADAM Questionnaire for androgen deficiency in Chinese men.
BACKGROUND
A 10-question screening questionnaire for androgen deficiency in aging men (ADAM) was reported in previous white but not Chinese populations. We therefore investigated the validity of a Chinese version of the Saint Louis University ADAM questionnaire to screen for androgen deficiency in Chinese men.


METHODS
This was a cross-sectional study. Seven hundred ninety-six ambulatory community-based Chinese men, 18-89 years old, were recruited from October 2003 through June 2006. Self-administered Chinese ADAM questionnaire and morning blood samples for serum total testosterone (TT) and bioavailable testosterone (BT) levels were collected from all participants. Low serum BT levels (androgen deficiency) were defined as <5th percentile of serum BT levels in young healthy Chinese men (18-29 years).


RESULTS
The Chinese ADAM questionnaire had good internal consistency (Cronbach alpha = 0.74) and test-retest reliability (Pearson correlation coefficient, r = 0.86; p <.001, two-tailed). As a screening test for low serum BT levels, the Chinese ADAM questionnaire has a high sensitivity of 88% but low specificity of 32%. In 6 of the 10 questions, the mean serum BT levels were significantly lower in those who answered positively than in those who answered negatively. Using a cut-off score of > or =2, a six-question short Chinese ADAM questionnaire demonstrated sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of 86%, 40%, 46%, and 82%, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
We have validated a full Chinese version and developed a shortened version of the ADAM questionnaire, and demonstrated that they are sensitive but not specific screening tests for androgen deficiency in Chinese men.
Chu
Leung-Wing
LW
Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, University of Hong Kong, 102 Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR.
Tam
Sidney
S
Kung
Annie W C
AW
Lam
Tai-Pong
TP
Lee
Antoinette
A
Wong
Rachel L C
RL
Lo
Sue
S
Fan
Susan
S
Chung
Chun-Pong
CP
Morley
John E
JE
Lam
Karen S L
KS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000728:Androgens / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency*; D047649:Andropause; D044466:Asian People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D007006:Hypogonadism / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology*; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
D000728:Androgens; D013739:Testosterone