title: Association between the androgen levels and erectile function, cognitive functions and hypogonadism symptoms in aging males.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Aging in men is characterized by a moderate decrease in plasma testosterone (T) levels. However, the association between partial androgen deficiency of the aging male and clinical symptoms and the ideal screening test are controversial. In this study, we investigated the association between the androgen levels and erectile function, cognitive functions and hypogonadism symptoms in aging males.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated the association between total (TT), calculated free (FT) and bioavailable (BT) testosterone, and various clinical and laboratory parameters in 103 healthy males, 50-80 years old. Biochemical assessment was done after overnight fasting. Questionnaires were used to test for hypogonadism symptoms, erectile and cognitive functions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  TT levels were not correlated with aging in this study. However, FT and BT were found to decrease with age due to rising sex hormone binding globulin. TT levels were strongly correlated with FT and BT levels (respectively p = 0.0001, p = 0.0001). TT, FT and BT were only correlated with cognitive functions (p = 0.012, p = 0.004, p = 0.02 respectively). There was no correlation between TT, FT and BT levels and erectile function and hypogonadism symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  T values in our study sample did not correlate with clinical signs and symptoms of hypogonadism. Thus, according to our data, symptoms in the aging male should not be indiscriminately assigned to a decrease in TT, FT or BT levels.
authors: Department of Urology, Canakkale Military Hospital, Canakkale, Turkey. perkutanci@yahoo.com
authors: Hasan
authors: H
authors: Kocoglu
authors: Cabir
authors: C
authors: Alan
authors: Hasan
authors: H
authors: Soydan
authors: Ferhat
authors: F
authors: Ateş
authors: Cüneyt
authors: C
authors: Adayener
authors: Ali Erhan
authors: AE
authors: Eren
authors: Ahmet Reşit
authors: AR
authors: Ersay
authors: Murat
authors: M
authors: Dayanc
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D000728:Androgens / Q000097:blood*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007006:Hypogonadism / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010410:Penile Erection / Q000502:physiology*; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin / Q000378:metabolism; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000728:Androgens; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin