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Use of testosterone therapy, marketed to consumers for a condition vaguely labeled as “low T,” is increasingly common; indeed, in a short-term randomized trial published in 2010, the incidence of adverse cardiovascular events was higher in older men with comorbidities who received testosterone therapy (NEJM JW Gen Med Jul 15 2010). Many clinicians are concerned that patient requests for testosterone are getting ahead of a full understanding of its risks and benefits. In the past year, two studies shed light on those concerns.
In a retrospective study, researchers identified 8700 male veterans with, or at high risk for, coronary artery disease (CAD) whose blood testosterone levels had been measured and were <300 ng/dL; 1200 of these men recei…