title: Testosterone deficiency: a determinant of aortic stiffness in men.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Low testosterone levels and increased aortic stiffness are predictors of cardiovascular events. The influence of androgen level on the age- and blood pressure-related increase in aortic stiffness is unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  From January 2007 to June 2011 we enrolled 455 consecutive men with no evidence of cardiovascular disease from a large cohort followed in our Department for arterial function studies. Their total testosterone (TT) levels were measured and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWVc-f) was measured as an index of aortic stiffness.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In multivariable analysis, PWVc-f values were inversely correlated to TT after adjustment for confounders (β = -0.365, P < 0.001). In younger age categories (<50 yrs and 50-59 yrs), patients with testosterone deficiency (TD) had higher blood pressure-adjusted PWVc-f (P < 0.001 and P = 0.005, respectively) compared to subjects with normal TT, indicating an "aging effect" of 10 years, whereas in older age categories such a difference was not observed. Furthermore, in men with a higher mean pressure (102-108 mmHg and >108 mmHg), patients with TD had higher age-adjusted PWVc-f (P < 0.001) compared to subjects with normal TT, indicating a synergistic unfavorable effect of testosterone deficiency and blood pressure on aortic stiffness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TT levels are independently associated with aortic stiffening. The effect of low testosterone concentration on aortic stiffness is more prominent in young men and in subjects with higher blood pressure levels. These findings identify testosterone as a marker of arterial damage with special emphasis on young and hypertensive individuals and support its role as predictor of events.
authors: Peripheral Vessels and Hypertension Unit, 1st Department of Cardiology, Hippokration Hospital, Athens Medical School, Greece. Electronic address: cvlachop@otenet.gr.
authors: Charalambos
authors: C
authors: Vlachopoulos
authors: Peripheral Vessels and Hypertension Unit, 1st Department of Cardiology, Hippokration Hospital, Athens Medical School, Greece.
authors: Nikolaos
authors: N
authors: Ioakeimidis
authors: Men's Health Center, Chief of Family and Community Medicine, Miriam Hospital, 164 Summit Avenue, Providence, RI 02906, USA.
authors: Martin
authors: M
authors: Miner
authors: Peripheral Vessels and Hypertension Unit, 1st Department of Cardiology, Hippokration Hospital, Athens Medical School, Greece.
authors: Athanassios
authors: A
authors: Aggelis
authors: Peripheral Vessels and Hypertension Unit, 1st Department of Cardiology, Hippokration Hospital, Athens Medical School, Greece.
authors: Panagiota
authors: P
authors: Pietri
authors: Peripheral Vessels and Hypertension Unit, 1st Department of Cardiology, Hippokration Hospital, Athens Medical School, Greece.
authors: Dimitrios
authors: D
authors: Terentes-Printzios
authors: Peripheral Vessels and Hypertension Unit, 1st Department of Cardiology, Hippokration Hospital, Athens Medical School, Greece.
authors: Dorothea
authors: D
authors: Tsekoura
authors: Peripheral Vessels and Hypertension Unit, 1st Department of Cardiology, Hippokration Hospital, Athens Medical School, Greece.
authors: Christodoulos
authors: C
authors: Stefanadis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000503:physiopathology; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis; D013739:Testosterone / Q000172:deficiency*; D059289:Vascular Stiffness
chemical_list: D013739:Testosterone
keywords: Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity; Testosterone deficiency; Total testosterone