Document Type
Article
Journal Title
Andrology
Publication Date
2021
Volume
9
Abstract
BACKGROUND: While previous studies have demonstrated testosterone's beneficial effects on glycemic control in men with hypogonadism and Type 2 Diabetes, the extent to which these improvements are observed based on the degree of treatment adherence has been unclear.
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects of long-term testosterone therapy in A1C levels in men with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and hypogonadism, controlling for BMI, pre-treatment A1C, and age among different testosterone therapy adherence groups.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of 1737 men with diabetes and hypogonadism on testosterone therapy for 5 years of data from 2008-2018, isolating A1C, lipid panels, and BMI results for analysis. Subjects were categorized into adherence groups based on quartiles of the proportion of days covered (> 75% of days, 51-75% of days, 26-50% of days and 0-25% of days), with >75% of days covered considered adherent to therapy.
RESULTS: Pre-treatment median A1C was 6.8%. Post-treatment median A1C was 7.1%. The adherent group, >75%, was the only group notable for a decrease in A1C, with a median decrease of -0.2 (p = 0.0022). BMI improvement was associated with improved post-treatment A1C (p = 0.007). When controlling for BMI, age, and pre-treatment A1C, the >75% adherence group was associated with improved post-treatment A1C (p < 0.001).
DISCUSSION: When controlling for all studied variables, testosterone adherence was associated with improved post-treatment A1C. The higher the initial A1C at the initiation of therapy, the higher the potential for lowering the patient's A1C with >75% adherence. Further, all groups showed some reduction in BMI, which may indicate that testosterone therapy may affect A1C independent of weight loss.
CONCLUSION: Even when controlling for improved BMI, pre-treatment A1C, and age, testosterone positively impacted glycemic control in diabetes patients with hypogonadism, with the most benefit noted in those most adherent to therapy (>75%).
DOI Link
ISSN
2047-2927
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 License.
Rights
U.S. Government Work
Recommended Citation
Jenkins, Craig R.; Rittel, Alex; Sturdivant, Rodney X.; Wan, Jen; Clerc, Philip G.; Manning, Evan; Jenkins, Lydia M.; Wardian, Jana L. PhD; and Graybill, Sky D., "Glycemic Benefits with Adherence to testosterone therapy in men with hypogonadism and type 2 diabetes mellitus." (2021). Journal Articles: Hospital Medicine. 2.
https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/com_hosp_articles/2