Death in Men With Type 2 Diabetes and Low Testosterone Levels May Be Prevented by TRT Plus How Good You Feel Increases.

A study of men with type 2 diabetes shows that those with low levels of testosterone may die sooner unless they are given testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). The findings were presented at the Society for Endocrinology annual meeting in Birmingham by Professor Hugh Jones (Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Sheffield).
This is the first study to show testosterone treatment can improve survival in men with type 2 diabetes and testosterone deficiency. Further studies now need to be carried out to fully investigate the potential therapeutic benefit of testosterone replacement in diabetic men with low testosterone.
In another study, also presented found that low testosterone and severity of erectile dysfunction are independently associated with a reduced health-related quality of life in men with type 2 diabetes. Health-related quality of life questionnaires measure how a person perceives their own general health. The questionnaire does not measure how good a person’s health actually is; it measures how good a person thinks their health is in daily life.
In the 356 men with type 2 diabetes tested, health related quality of life decreased as testosterone levels decreased. In the 126 patients who were also assessed for erectile dysfunction, health-related quality of life decreased in the areas including physical functioning, social functioning, vitality and pain as the severity of erectile dysfunction increased. Although severity of erectile dysfunction has been shown to be associated with lower testosterone levels, statistical analysis shows that these are both independently associated with reduced health-focused quality of life in these men.
“Our next step is to assess whether offering testosterone replacement therapy to diabetic men with testosterone deficiency and erectile dysfunction may help to improve their health related quality of life.”
Society for Endocrinology (2011, April 14).