title: Serum vitamin D levels and hypogonadism in men.
abstract: There is inconsistent evidence on a possible association of vitamin D and androgen levels in men. We therefore aim to investigate the association of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) with androgen levels in a cohort of middle-aged men. This cross-sectional study included 225 men with a median (interquartile range) age of 35 (30-41) years. We measured 25(OH)D, total testosterone (TT) and SHBG concentrations. Hypogonadism was defined as TT <10.4 nmol/L. We found no significant correlation of 25(OH)D and androgen levels. Furthermore, androgen levels were not significantly different across 25(OH)D quintiles. The overall prevalence of hypogonadism was 21.5% and lowest in men within 25(OH)D quintile 4 (82-102 nmol/L). We found a significantly increased risk of hypogonadism in men within the highest 25(OH)D quintile (>102 nmol/L) compared to men in quintile 4 (reference) in crude (OR 5.10, 1.51-17.24, p = 0.009) as well as in multivariate adjusted analysis (OR 9.21, 2.27-37.35, p = 0.002). We found a trend towards increased risk of hypogonadism in men within the lowest 25(OH)D quintile (≤43.9 nmol/L). In conclusion, our data suggest that men with very high 25(OH)D levels (>102 nmol/L) might be at an increased risk of hypogonadism. Furthermore, we observed a trend towards increased risk of hypogonadism in men with very low vitamin D levels indicating a U-shaped association of vitamin D levels and hypogonadism. With respect to risk of male hypogonadism, our results suggest optimal serum 25(OH)D concentrations of 82-102 nmol/L.
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria; University Women's Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lerchbaum
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pilz
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Trummer
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rabe
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schenk
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Heijboer
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Obermayer-Pietsch
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D007006:Hypogonadism / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008875:Middle Aged; D012306:Risk; D055101:Semen Analysis; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin / Q000378:metabolism*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood*; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin; D014807:Vitamin D; D013739:Testosterone; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D
keywords: androgens; hypogonadism; sex hormones