Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Aug 20:10:1381-91.
doi: 10.2147/CIA.S88499. eCollection 2015.

Hormonal determinants of the severity of andropausal and depressive symptoms in middle-aged and elderly men with prediabetes

Michał Rabijewski  1 , Lucyna Papierska  2 , Roman Kuczerowski  1 , Paweł Piątkiewicz  1
Affiliations

Hormonal determinants of the severity of andropausal and depressive symptoms in middle-aged and elderly men with prediabetes

Michał Rabijewski et al. Clin Interv Aging. .

Abstract

Andropausal and depressive symptoms are common in aging males and may be associated with hormone deficiency. We investigated the severity of andropausal and depressive symptoms, as well as their hormonal determinants, in 196 middle-aged and elderly men (age range: 40-80 years) with prediabetes (PD) and in 184 healthy peers. PD was diagnosed according to the definition of the American Diabetes Association. The severity of andropausal and depressive symptoms was assessed using the Aging Males' Symptoms Rating Scale and the Self-Rating Depression Scale. Total testosterone (TT), calculated free testosterone (cFT), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) were measured. The prevalence of andropausal syndrome in men with PD was significantly higher than that in healthy men (35% vs 11%, respectively). In men with PD aged 40-59 years, the severity of sexual, psychological, and all andropausal symptoms was greater than in healthy peers, while in elderly men (60-80 years), only the severity of psychological symptoms was greater than in healthy peers. The severity of depressive symptoms in the middle-aged men with PD was greater than in healthy peers, while the severity of depressive symptoms in elderly men with PD and healthy peers was similar. The higher prevalence of andropausal symptoms was independently associated with cFT and IGF-1 in middle-aged men and with TT and DHEAS in elderly men with PD. The more severe depression symptoms were associated with low TT and DHEAS in middle-aged men and with low cFT and DHEAS in elderly men with PD. In conclusion, the prevalence of andropausal symptoms, especially psychological, was higher in prediabetic patients as compared to healthy men, while the severity of depressive symptoms was higher only in middle-aged men with PD. Hormonal determinants of andropausal and depressive symptoms are different in middle-aged and elderly patients, but endocrine tests are necessary in all men with PD.

Keywords: DHEAS; IGF-1; andropausal symptoms; depression; prediabetes; testosterone.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Prevalence (%) of andropausal syndrome in men with prediabetes (n=196) and healthy men (n=184). Notes: Andropausal syndrome was diagnosed according to the AMS and was diagnosed if the total AMS score was 50 points or higher. The intergroup differences were tested using the χ2 test. Abbreviations: AMS, Aging Males’ Symptoms rating scale; PD, prediabetes.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Severity of andropausal symptoms (expressed as points). Notes: Severity of andropausal symptoms (according to AMS scale) and depressive symptoms (according to SDS scale) in men with PD (A) aged 40–59 years (n=98), and (B) aged 60–80 years (n=86), compared with healthy men (n=184). The intergroup differences were tested using the t-test for unpaired samples. Abbreviations: AMS, Aging Males’ Symptoms rating scale; NS, nonsignificant; PD, prediabetes; SDS, Self-rating Depression Scale.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Saad F, Gooren LJ. The role of testosterone in the etiology and treatment of obesity, the metabolic syndrome, and diabetes mellitus type 2. J Obes. 2011;2011:1–10. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Feldman HA, Longcope C, Derby CA, et al. Age trends in the level of serum testosterone and other hormones in middle-aged men: longitudinal results from the Massachusetts male aging study. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2002;87(2):589–598. - PubMed
    1. Tajar A, Huhtaniemi IT, O’Neill TW, et al. Characteristics of androgen deficiency in late-onset hypogonadism: results from the European Male Aging Study (EMAS) J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2012;97(5):1508–1516. - PubMed
    1. Wu FC, Tajar A, Beynon JM, et al. Identification of late-onset hypogonadism in middle-aged and elderly men. N Engl J Med. 2010;363(2):123–135. - PubMed
    1. Lunenfeld B, Mskhalaya G, Kalinchenko S, Tischova T. Recommendations on the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of late-onset hypogonadism in men – a suggested update. Aging Male. 2013;16(4):143–150. - PubMed