title: Symptoms of testosterone deficiency in early middle aged men.
abstract: Symptoms of testosterone deficiency and concentrations of testosterone (T) and bioavailable testosterone (BT) were studied in 35- and 45-year-old men.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire, was sent to all 35- and 45-year-old men in Linköping, Sweden (n=1998). The questionnaire has earlier been used for 55- to 75-year-old men and included demographic data, medical history, different symptoms possibly of T deficiency and the 10 questions from the "ADAM-questionnaire". Totally 200 men randomly selected among the men who answered the questionnaire were asked to give blood samples for analysis of T- and BT-concentrations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 38.7% of the questionnaires were returned and analysed, and 43.5% of the 200 randomly selected men gave blood samples. The older age group reported more symptoms that may be connected to low B and BT and had lower T- and BT-concentrations. Less strong erections and higher alcohol consumption were associated with lower concentrations of BT in 45-year-old men.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The burden of symptoms possibly related to low T concentrations were higher in 45-year-old men, and BT and T were lower. However, due to the low answer frequency and number of blood samples analyzed no general conclusions can be drawn.
authors.affiliation: Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden. anna-clara.spetz.holm@liu.se
authors.forename: Anna-Clara E
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Spetz Holm
authors.forename: Mats G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Fredrikson
authors.forename: Mats L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Hammar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D003625:Data Collection; D006801:Humans; D007006:Hypogonadism / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010410:Penile Erection; D012735:Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D013739:Testosterone / Q000172:deficiency*
chemical_list: D013739:Testosterone