Testosterone Therapy in Men with Androgen Deficiency Syndromes

A widely circulated drug-company advertisement urges men to talk to their doctors about “low T” — meaning testosterone. Against this background — in which testosterone therapy sometimes is depicted as a panacea for the ills of aging — the Endocrine Society has updated its 2006 guideline (JW Gen Med Jul 13 2006) on testosterone therapy for men with androgen deficiency. The guideline makes three key points:

• Androgen deficiency should be diagnosed “only in men with consistent symptoms and signs and unequivocally low serum testosterone levels.”

• General population screening for androgen deficiency, or the use of case-finding questionnaires in men receiving healthcare for other reasons, is not recommended.

• Testosterone therapy is recommended only fo…