Obese, diabetic, or hypertensive men at risk for hypogonadism

Men may be twice as likely to have hypogonadism if they are obese, diabetic, or hypertensive, according to findings presented at the American Academy of Family Physicians annual scientific assembly in Orlando.

Over one-third of the 2,165 study participants (mean age, 60.5 years) had total testosterone levels below 300 ng/dL. Men with a body mass index greater than 25 kg/m2 were at 2.52 times higher risk of having low testosterone. Obese men showed a 2.33 times higher risk, diabetic men had a 2.04 higher risk, and men with hypertension had a 1.80 greater risk of having low testosterone, reported Thomas Mulligan, MD, of the McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Richmond, VA.

Investigators also found that 9.6% of American men with low testosterone receive treatment for hypogonadism. In this study, about two-thirds of men with low testosterone showed at least one sign or symptom of the condition.