Previous research on the effects of testosterone therapy on cardiovascular outcomes has yielded inconsistent results. Jacques Baillargeon, from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, and colleagues examined Medicare enrollment and claims data for 25,420 Medicare beneficiaries 66 years or older who were treated with testosterone for up to eight years.
Men of the same age, race, Medicaid eligibility and health status who did not receive testosterone therapy were used as a control group for comparison.
The analyses showed that testosterone therapy did not lead to an increased risk of heart attack. Furthermore, testosterone users with a higher probability of cardiovascular problems had fewer heart attacks than equivalent patients who did not get T therapy.
“Older men who were treated with intramuscular testosterone did not appear to have an increased risk of [heart attack],” the researchers observed. “For men with high [heart attack] risk, testosterone use was modestly protective.”Baillargeon, J., et al. (2014).
Risk of myocardial Infarction in older men receiving testosterone therapy.” Ann Pharmacother. Published online July 2.
—Dr. Bob Goldman
www.WorldHealth.net
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