title: [Association of serum testosterone with atherosclerosis in middle-aged and elderly men].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the association between the level of serum testosterone and atherosclerosis in middle-aged and elderly men.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a population-based study of 413 males aged 40-75 years in a community in Guangzhou. We obtained the sociodemographic characteristics, clinical data, physical measurements, and laboratory results of sex hormones, blood glucose, and blood lipid of the subjects. We also measured the carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) by color Doppler ultrasonography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The subjects were divided into a carotid atherosclerosis (CAS) group (CIMT ≥ 0.9 mm) and a non-CAS group (CIMT < 0.9 mm). The medians of free testosterone (FT) were 57.41 and 59.72 pmol/L in the CAS and non-CAS groups, respectively (P = 0.005), and no significant difference was found between the two groups in total testosterone (TT). The levels of serum FT and TT were negatively correlated to CIMT, with Spearman's rank correlation coefficients of -0.126 (P = 0.011) and -0.188 (P < 0.001), respectively. The incidence rates of CAS were 23.30, 13.46, 17.48, and 7.77% in the Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4 groups, respectively according to the quartile of FT (P for trend = 0.008) and 17.48, 18.27, 16.50, and 9.71% respectively according to the quartile of TT (P for trend = 0.116). Based on the quartile of FT and after adjustment for age, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, and HbAlc, the risk of CAS was significantly increased in the Q1 group as compared with Q4 (OR = 2.491, 95% CI 1.01-6.149), but no statistically significant differences were observed according to the quartile of TT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A low serum FT level may be a risk factor of atherosclerosis in Chinese men aged 40 years or older.
authors.forename: Xiao-bin
authors.initials: XB
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Fang-ping
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Diao-Zhu
authors.initials: DZ
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Kan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Lu-jing
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jia-yi
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Xiao-feng
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D008055:Lipids; D013739:Testosterone