I started writing this blog back in November 2010 as an extension of the physician education for which I was responsible during my tenure w/my previous employer. Little did I realize that my November 28, 2010 post on testosterone & heart failure would be the all-time favorite in terms of times viewed (twice that of the 2nd most viewed) for whatever reason. In any case, if you've followed along, you know I like to look for trends rather than flukes, assuming the science & statistics behind the trend will hold water (see my posts this past Monday & Tuesday).
I mention this because I stumbled upon a meta-analysis (published 2 days ago online prior to print) of 4 trials involving 198 patients w/heart failure, average 67yo of whom 84% were men, in which testosterone therapy (regardless of route of administration) demonstrated improvement in exercise capacity, whether measured by 6 minute walk, incremental shuttle walk or maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) after up to 52 weeks of therapy compared to placebo.
Obviously the statistics are a bit complicated but the conclusion is consistent w/my quick review from 18 months ago. More importantly, no negative cardiovascular events were noted. In summary, we have 4 small, short randomized controlled trials demonstrating cause & effect in a small, select population over a short period of time. We would obviously like larger, longer, randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled studies before recommending testosterone supplementation to the masses, but this is a nice start.
Tweet
No comments:
Post a Comment