Background: Men with hypogonadism are at increased risk of MACE and mortality. Studies in men with T2DM show that testosterone therapy (TTh) reduces both MACE and mortality.
Methods: In a registry of 858 men with hypogonadism, 356 men (41.5%) had T2DM. 178 received testosterone undecanoate injections (TU) 1000 mg/12 weeks (T-group) and 178 opted against treatment (CTRL). MACE, mortality, and diabetic complications were recorded and compared between groups.
Results: Mean baseline age in the T-group and CTRL was 61.8±5.1 and 63.6±4.9 years, respectively. Mean follow-up in T-group vs. CTRL was 7.4 and 8.3 years, respectively. 69 patients (38.8%) in the T-group and 70 (39.3%) in CTRL had a history of cardiovascular disease (myocardial infarction, stroke, or coronary artery disease diagnosis) (p=0.9135). Baseline smoking prevalence was 41.6% (74 men) in the T-group and 38.2% (68 men) in CTRL (p=0.5161). The T-group had significantly worse baseline risk factor profile than CTRL: BMI (36.5±4.5 vs. 33.4±5.3 kg/m²), systolic blood pressure (163.0±13.3 vs. 145.6±14.6 mmHg), LDL (4.7±0.9 vs. 4.1±1.4 mmol/L), HbA1c 9.4±1.4 vs. 7.8±0.7% (p<0.0001 for all). Mortality: during the entire observation period, 13 patients (7.3%) died in the T-group vs. 48 (27.0%) in CTRL (p<0.0001). MACE: in the T-group, there were no cases of myocardial infarction or stroke. In CTRL, there were 55 cases of myocardial infarction (30.9%) and 45 cases of stroke (25.3%). Diabetic complications: in the T-group vs. CTRL, the incidence of retinopathy was 3.4% and 16.9% (p<0.0001), nephropathy 0.6% and 4% (p<0.05), polyneuropathy 6.2% and 54.8% (p<0.0001), diabetic foot syndrome 0% and 9.6% (p<0.0001).
Conclusions: Long-term treatment with TU in men with hypogonadism and T2DM significantly reduces MACE and mortality, as well as diabetic complications compared to untreated controls.
A. Haider: None. K.S. Haider: None. F. Saad: Consultant; Self; Bayer AG. Stock/Shareholder; Self; AbbVie Inc., Bayer AG.
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