Reference ranges and determinants of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and estradiol levels measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in a population-based cohort of older men
Context: Testosterone (T) levels decline with increasing age. Controversy exists over the threshold for classifying T as low vs. normal in older men. The relevance of assessing dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and estradiol (E2) remains unclear. Objective: We assessed the associations of T, DHT, and E2 in...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Published: |
2012
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/35112 |
| _version_ | 1848754406250512384 |
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| author | Yeap, B. Alfonso, Helman Chubb, S. Handelsman, D. Hankey, G. Norman, P. Flicker, L. |
| author_facet | Yeap, B. Alfonso, Helman Chubb, S. Handelsman, D. Hankey, G. Norman, P. Flicker, L. |
| author_sort | Yeap, B. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Context: Testosterone (T) levels decline with increasing age. Controversy exists over the threshold for classifying T as low vs. normal in older men. The relevance of assessing dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and estradiol (E2) remains unclear. Objective: We assessed the associations of T, DHT, and E2 in men aged 70 yr or older and established reference ranges for these in healthy older men. Participants: Community-dwelling men aged 70-89 yr residing in Perth, Western Australia, Australia, participated in the study. Main Outcome Measures: Plasma T, DHT, and E2 were assayed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in early morning samples from 3690 men. Results: Increasing age, higher body mass index and waist to hip ratio, dyslipidemia, diabetes, and higher LH were independently associated with lower levels of T and DHT. Increasing age, diabetes, and higher LH were associated with lower E2. In a reference group of 394 men aged 76.1 ± 3.2 yr reporting excellent or very good health with no history of smoking, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, depression, or dementia, the 2.5th percentile for T was 6.4 nmol/liter (184 ng/dl); DHT, 0.49 nmol/liter; and E2, 28 pmol/liter. Applying these cutoffs to all 3690 men, those with low T or DHT had an increased odds ratio for frailty, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Men with both low T and DHT had a higher odds ratio for these outcomes. Conclusions: The 2.5th percentile in a reference group of healthy older men provides age-appropriate thresholds for defining low T, DHT, and E2. Additional studies are needed to test their potential applicability and clinical utility in older men. Copyright © 2012 by The Endocrine Society. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T08:39:54Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-35112 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T08:39:54Z |
| publishDate | 2012 |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-351122017-09-13T15:33:15Z Reference ranges and determinants of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and estradiol levels measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in a population-based cohort of older men Yeap, B. Alfonso, Helman Chubb, S. Handelsman, D. Hankey, G. Norman, P. Flicker, L. Context: Testosterone (T) levels decline with increasing age. Controversy exists over the threshold for classifying T as low vs. normal in older men. The relevance of assessing dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and estradiol (E2) remains unclear. Objective: We assessed the associations of T, DHT, and E2 in men aged 70 yr or older and established reference ranges for these in healthy older men. Participants: Community-dwelling men aged 70-89 yr residing in Perth, Western Australia, Australia, participated in the study. Main Outcome Measures: Plasma T, DHT, and E2 were assayed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in early morning samples from 3690 men. Results: Increasing age, higher body mass index and waist to hip ratio, dyslipidemia, diabetes, and higher LH were independently associated with lower levels of T and DHT. Increasing age, diabetes, and higher LH were associated with lower E2. In a reference group of 394 men aged 76.1 ± 3.2 yr reporting excellent or very good health with no history of smoking, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, depression, or dementia, the 2.5th percentile for T was 6.4 nmol/liter (184 ng/dl); DHT, 0.49 nmol/liter; and E2, 28 pmol/liter. Applying these cutoffs to all 3690 men, those with low T or DHT had an increased odds ratio for frailty, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Men with both low T and DHT had a higher odds ratio for these outcomes. Conclusions: The 2.5th percentile in a reference group of healthy older men provides age-appropriate thresholds for defining low T, DHT, and E2. Additional studies are needed to test their potential applicability and clinical utility in older men. Copyright © 2012 by The Endocrine Society. 2012 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/35112 10.1210/jc.2012-2265 unknown |
| spellingShingle | Yeap, B. Alfonso, Helman Chubb, S. Handelsman, D. Hankey, G. Norman, P. Flicker, L. Reference ranges and determinants of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and estradiol levels measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in a population-based cohort of older men |
| title | Reference ranges and determinants of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and estradiol levels measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in a population-based cohort of older men |
| title_full | Reference ranges and determinants of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and estradiol levels measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in a population-based cohort of older men |
| title_fullStr | Reference ranges and determinants of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and estradiol levels measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in a population-based cohort of older men |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reference ranges and determinants of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and estradiol levels measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in a population-based cohort of older men |
| title_short | Reference ranges and determinants of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and estradiol levels measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in a population-based cohort of older men |
| title_sort | reference ranges and determinants of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and estradiol levels measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in a population-based cohort of older men |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/35112 |