http://atvb.ahajournals.org/content/16/6/749.short
Abstract
Abstract Serum levels of total
and free testosterone and 17β-estradiol were determined in 144 men with
acute ischemic stroke and 47
healthy male control subjects. Blood samples
from patients were drawn a mean of 3 days after stroke onset and also 6
months
after admission in a subgroup of 45 patients.
Initial stroke severity was assessed on the Scandinavian Stroke Scale
and infarct
size by computed tomographic scan. Mean total
serum testosterone was 13.8±0.5 nmol/L in stroke patients and 16.5±0.7
nmol/L
in control subjects (P=.002); the respective values for free serum testosterone were 40.8±1.3 and 51.0±2.2 pmol/L (P=.0001).
Both total and free testosterone were significantly inversely
associated with stroke severity and 6-month mortality,
and total testosterone was significantly
inversely associated with infarct size. The differences in total and
free testosterone
levels between patients and control subjects
could not be explained by 10 putative risk factors for stroke, including
age,
blood pressure, diabetes, ischemic heart
disease, smoking, and atrial fibrillation. Total and free testosterone
levels tended
to normalize 6 months after the stroke. There
was no difference between patients and control subjects in serum
17β-estradiol
levels. These results support the idea that
testosterone affects the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke in men.
So what the hell should we do about it? Get more testosterone or
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