Low Testosterone and Fractured Bones
02 Apr 2002
"What makes men act the way they do?" one annoyed woman asked her friend. She replied, "It’s testosterone, stupid." One of the reasons men differ from women is that they produce 10 times more testosterone. But like most things in life "10 times" doesn’t last forever. There’s mounting evidence that males experience their own menopause (andropause). And that the dwindling of the male hormone has far reaching consequences for males, particularly on bones and sexual drive.
During the 3rd World Conference on "The Aging Male" held in Berlin, Germany, I interviewed Dr. Robert Josse, a renowned endocrinologist at the University of Toronto.
Professor Josse said, "No one in the past has seriously looked at osteoporosis in men. We used to think that when men suffered fractures, they were due to trauma or long-term alcohol use which can weaken bone density. But this time-honoured belief has been shattered by recent studies."
Dr. Josse cited research in which X-rays and bone scans were carried out on 3,000 men and 6,000 women over the age of 50.
The result made everyone sit up and take notice. 25 percent of the men and women had osteoporosis and spinal fractures. But the men were worse off than women. In males, back pain was often diagnosed as due to back strain and fractures went untreated!
Now doctors have to ask themselves, " Is chronic back pain due to a pinched nerve, muscle strain or undiagnosed spinal fracture?"
The Osteoporosis Society of Canada states that one in eight men over the age of 50 has osteoporosis. That 30 percent of osteoporotic fractures occur in men. Equally ominous, these fractures cause men to have a 3X higher death rate than women. And that half of the men with either a spinal or hip fracture lack testosterone.
Dr. Malcolm Carruthers, a London England endocrinologist and andropause pioneer, has been using testosterone to treat aging males for years. He reported to assembled doctors that at about age 30 the level of testosterone in men starts to drop 10 percent every decade causing far-reaching effects.
Like women, males can become depressed, fatigued, irritable, unable to concentrate, lose time from work due to back pain and fatigue, and complain of joint pain. They also have decreased desire for sex and suffer from erectile dysfunction (ED).
Carruthers calls testosterone the "hormone of kings". He’s had great experience treating tycoons, captains of industry and politicians. And says that these movers and shakers need higher doses of testosterone than less ambitious males to restore their competitive edge.
So how do you prevent broken bones and the need to tell your partner you have a headache?
To prevent osteoporosis it’s imperative you start early in life to build bone mass. The best insurance is to drink three glasses of milk daily to ensure the right amount of calcium. Vitamin D supplements are helpful. And don’t become a couch potato. Exercise keeps bones strong.
If your sex life leaves much to be desired, bite the bullet and ask the doctor about testosterone therapy.
Dr. Carruthers stresses that doctors must test for "bioavailable testosterone" rather than "total testosterone" to diagnose andropause. This is because about 97 percent of testosterone is hand-cuffed to other blood particles and is therefore biologically inactive.
Patients with low bioavailable testosterone can be prescribed intra-muscular injections and skin patches. An oral preparation, Andriol, is also widely prescribed throughout the world.
The average dose of Andriol is 80 milligrams (mg) twice a day. But take two precautions. Andriol must be taken with food and stored at room temperature by the patient.
What about males with ED who are taking Viagra with disappointing results? Dr. John Morley, a U.S. endocrinologist, says that about 30 percent of males experience total failure. Another 30 percent only get moderate results. He claims this happens because there’s not enough bioavailable testosterone to react with Viagra.
We are going to hear more about broken bones and male headaches in the years ahead. Males will catch up with women as more doctors prescribe testosterone. And unless we all use our legs more, drink milk and treat testosterone deficiency we face a huge epidemic of osteoporosis.
