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. 2019 Mar 1;179(3):446-448.
doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.6505.

Trends in Testosterone Prescribing for Age-related Hypogonadism in Men With and Without Heart Disease

Nancy E Morden  1 , Steven Woloshin  1 , Corinne G Brooks  1 , Lisa M Schwartz  1
Affiliations

Trends in Testosterone Prescribing for Age-related Hypogonadism in Men With and Without Heart Disease

Nancy E Morden et al. JAMA Intern Med. .

Abstract

This cohort study examines the trend in prescription testosterone use among male Medicare beneficiaries with and without coronary artery disease aged 50 years or older.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Drs Schwartz and Woloshin reported serving as medical experts in testosterone litigation and being cofounders of Informulary Inc, which ceased operations in December 2016. No other disclosures were reported.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. On-label and Off-label Prescription Testosterone Use and Medicare Testosterone Expenditure
Use measurements are crude annual rates. Medicare spending includes Part D records and Part B claims. Measures from the 40% sample are multiplied by 2.5 for an estimated total, adjusted to 2016 dollars using the Consumer Price Index inflation calculator. Total cost figures likely underestimate Medicare expenditures as only use among fee-for-service parts A, B, and D enrolled beneficiaries was calculated. CAD indicates coronary artery disease.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. Regional Variation in Prescription Testosterone Use in 2012 and 2016, by Heart Disease Status
A, Hospital referral region rates of off-label testosterone use in 2012 before warnings. B, Hospital referral region rates of off-label testosterone use in 2016 after warnings. Each dot represents 1 of 273 regions. The horizontal line with percentage in each graph indicates the national rate. In orange regions, the proportion of men with coronary artery disease (CAD) who used testosterone was 2 or more times the national rate in both 2012 and 2016. In green coded regions, the proportion of men with CAD who used testosterone was less than half the national rate in 2012 and 2016. Plot includes only regions with 500 or more Medicare beneficiaries who met the inclusion criteria for the CAD or non-CAD cohort.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

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