High serum testosterone is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular events in elderly men: The MrOS (osteoporotic fractures in men) study in Sweden

Claes Ohlsson, Elizabeth Barrett-Connor, Shalender Bhasin, Eric Orwoll, Fernand Labrie, Magnus K. Karlsson, Östen Ljunggren, Liesbeth Vandenput, Dan Mellström, Åsa Tivesten

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

233 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objectives: We tested the hypothesis that serum total testosterone and sex hormonebinding globulin (SHBG) levels predict cardiovascular (CV) events in community-dwelling elderly men. Background: Low serum testosterone is associated with increased adiposity, an adverse metabolic risk profile, and atherosclerosis. However, few prospective studies have demonstrated a protective link between endogenous testosterone and CV events. Polymorphisms in the SHBG gene are associated with risk of type 2 diabetes, but few studies have addressed SHBG as a predictor of CV events. Methods: We used gas chromatography/mass spectrometry to analyze baseline levels of testosterone in the prospective population-based MrOS (Osteoporotic Fractures in Men) Sweden study (2,416 men, age 69 to 81 years). SHBG was measured by immunoradiometric assay. CV clinical outcomes were obtained from central Swedish registers. Results: During a median 5-year follow-up, 485 CV events occurred. Both total testosterone and SHBG levels were inversely associated with the risk of CV events (trend over quartiles: p = 0.009 and p = 0.012, respectively). Men in the highest quartile of testosterone (<550 ng/dl) had a lower risk of CV events compared with men in the 3 lower quartiles (hazard ratio: 0.70, 95% confidence interval: 0.56 to 0.88). This association remained after adjustment for traditional CV risk factors and was not materially changed in analyses excluding men with known CV disease at baseline (hazard ratio: 0.71, 95% confidence interval: 0.53 to 0.95). In models that included both testosterone and SHBG, testosterone but not SHBG predicted CV risk. Conclusions: High serum testosterone predicted a reduced 5-year risk of CV events in elderly men.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1674-1681
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of the American College of Cardiology
Volume58
Issue number16
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 11 2011

Keywords

  • cardiovascular disease
  • men
  • testosterone

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine

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