The "Aging Males' Symptoms" Scale (AMS): predictive value for lowered circulating androgens.
BACKGROUND
Symptoms of the "male climacteric" are often at least in part referred to an age-dependent decline of serum androgen levels. Therefore, we evaluated the relationship of climacteric symptoms as assessed by the "Aging Males' Symptoms" (AMS) Questionnaire with circulating androgen levels.


METHODS
146 ambulatory men (age, 27-85 years) were surveyed with the AMS Questionnaire and sampled for serum values of total testosterone (tT) and sexual hormone binding globulin (SHBG). Free testosterone (fT) was calculated from tT and SHBG. A total AMS score ≥37 was considered pathological; the lower limits for tT and fT were set to 8 nmol/l and 180 pmol/l, respectively.


RESULTS
A significant deficit in tT and fT was shown in 25 (17.1%) and 34 (24.5%) men, respectively; the AMS Questionnaire showed pathological results for 66 (45.2%) men. In predicting a tT deficit, the AMS Questionnaire rendered a sensitivity of 76% and a specificity of 61.6%, only. However, multiple regression analysis revealed a significant correlation of lowered tT with a pathological somatovegetative and psychological AMS subscore (p = 0.042 and p = 0.01) and a correlation of lowered fT with a pathological sexual subscore (p = 0.039).


CONCLUSIONS
In predicting hypogonadism the AMS Questionnaire in total did not render a sufficient diagnostic efficiency.
Department of Urology, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany. friedemann.zengerling@uniklinik-ulm.de
Friedemann
F
Zengerling
Andres Jan
AJ
Schrader
Marcus Victor
MV
Cronauer
Henning
H
Stemann
Mark
M
Schrader
Ludwig
L
Rinnab
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D002979:Climacteric / Q000097:blood* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007006:Hypogonadism / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin / Q000032:analysis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency*
D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin; D013739:Testosterone