Hypogonadism management and cardiovascular health

Postgrad Med. 2020 Dec;132(sup4):35-41. doi: 10.1080/00325481.2020.1805917. Epub 2020 Oct 19.

Abstract

In the early days of its use, testosterone therapy faced skepticism regarding its safety and efficacy. After a converging consensus that testosterone therapy was safe and effective for the treatment of hypogonadism, several recent studies showed adverse cardiovascular outcomes associated with testosterone treatment, ultimately resulting in a mandated FDA label warning about the unknown safety of testosterone therapy. Given the clear efficacy of testosterone therapy in the treatment of hypogonadism, establishing the safety of this therapeutic tool is essential. This article summarizes the current evidence regarding the cardiovascular safety of testosterone therapy for the management of hypogonadism, as well as the proposed mechanisms that may explain testosterone's underlying effects.

Keywords: Hypogonadism; cardiovascular disease; drug safety; testosterone.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Cardiovascular Diseases / epidemiology*
  • Hormone Replacement Therapy / methods*
  • Humans
  • Hypogonadism / drug therapy*
  • Hypogonadism / epidemiology*
  • Male
  • Men's Health
  • Testosterone / administration & dosage
  • Testosterone / therapeutic use*

Substances

  • Testosterone