title: Elevated levels of gonadotrophins but not sex steroids are associated with musculoskeletal pain in middle-aged and older European men.
abstract: The aim of this study was to determine the association of hormone levels with the occurrence of musculoskeletal pain. Men ages 40 to 79 years were recruited from population registers in 8 European centres. Subjects were asked to complete a postal questionnaire, which enquired about lifestyle and the occurrence of musculoskeletal pain over the past month. Total testosterone (T), oestradiol (E2), luteinising hormone (LH), and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) were assayed from a fasting blood sample. The association between pain status and hormone levels was assessed using multinomial logistic regression with results expressed as relative risk ratios (RRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). A total of 3206 men had complete data on pain status. Of these, 8.7% reported chronic widespread pain (CWP), whereas 50% had some pain although not CWP and were classified as having some pain. T and E2 were not associated with musculoskeletal pain, whereas significant differences in LH and FSH levels were found between pain groups. After adjustment for age and other possible confounders, the association between pain status and both LH and FSH persisted. Compared with those in the lowest tertile of LH, those in the highest tertile were more likely to report some pain (vs no pain, RRR=1.28; 95% CI 1.09 to 1.50) and also CWP (vs no pain, RRR=1.51; 95% CI 1.10 to 2.07). Similar results were found for FSH. Gonadotrophins, but not sex steroid hormone levels, are associated with musculoskeletal pain in men.
authors.affiliation: Arthritis Research UK Epidemiology Unit, The University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Stopford Building, Oxford road, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK Epidemiology Group, Institute of Applied Health Sciences School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Campus, London, UK Andrology Research Unit, Developmental & Regenerative Biomedicine Research Group, The University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester, UK Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Andrology, Albert Szent-György Medical University, Szeged, Hungary Department of Geriatric Medicine, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium Department of Medicine, Santiago de Compostela University, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago (CHUS), CIBER de Fisiopatología Obesidad y Nutricion (CB06/03), Instituto Salud Carlos III, Santiago de Compostela, Spain Endocrinology Unit, Department of Clinical Physiopathology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy Reproductive Medicine Centre, Skåne University Hospital, University of Lund, Sweden Department of Endocrinology, University College London, London, UK Department of Andrology and Reproductive Endocrinology, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland Laboratory of Molecular Endocrinology and Oncology, Laval University, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada Department of Human Nutrition, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, UK School of Community Based Medicine, The University of Manchester, Salford Royal NHS Trust, Salford, UK Andrology Unit, United Laboratories of Tartu University Clinics, Tartu, Estonia Arthritis Research UK, Chesterfield, UK Department of Andrology and Endocrinology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Abdelouahid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tajar
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McBeth
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Gary J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Macfarlane
authors.forename: Ilpo T
authors.initials: IT
authors.lastname: Huhtaniemi
authors.forename: Joseph D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Finn
authors.forename: Gyorgy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bartfai
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boonen
authors.forename: Felipe F
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Casanueva
authors.forename: Gianni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Forti
authors.forename: Aleksander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giwercman
authors.forename: Thang S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kula
authors.forename: Fernand
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Labrie
authors.forename: Michael E J
authors.initials: MEJ
authors.lastname: Lean
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pendleton
authors.forename: Margus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Punab
authors.forename: Alan J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Silman
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vanderschueren
authors.forename: Terence W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: O'Neill
authors.forename: Frederick C W
authors.initials: FCW
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D005060:Europe; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D010146:Pain / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D010147:Pain Measurement; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D013739:Testosterone; D004958:Estradiol; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone