Testosterone Therapy in Men with Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Testosterone therapy, often marketed to consumers for “low T,” is increasingly common. Studies show some short-term benefits in selected groups of hypogonadal men, but prospective long-term safety studies are lacking. A randomized trial of testosterone therapy in frail older men was stopped early, because adverse cardiovascular events occurred more frequently in the active-treatment group (NEJM JW Gen Med Jul 15 2010). In this retrospective study, researchers evaluated data from 8709 male veterans (mean age, 63) with coronary artery disease or risk factors who underwent coronary angiography and had testosterone levels <300 ng/dL.

During a mean follow-up of 27 months, myocardial infarction, stroke, or death occurred in 26% of men who received…