Endogenous testosterone and the prospective association with carotid atherosclerosis in men: the Tromsø study.
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.
Vikan
T
T
Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway. torkel.vikan@unn.no
Johnsen
S H
SH
Schirmer
H
H
Njølstad
I
I
Svartberg
J
J
D000368:Aged; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000209:etiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013739:Testosterone / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000097:blood; D014463:Ultrasonography
D013739:Testosterone