Authors of a new report claim the reason why men suffer more heart disease as they grow older is due...
Authors of a new report claim the reason why men suffer more heart disease as they grow older is due to a dip in testosterone levels ' the so-called 'male menopause.'
The authors say the role of sex hormones in the risk of heart disease has been largely ignored, but recent reports suggest men with heart disease have lower levels of circulating testosterone.
The report, published in the latest issue of Heart, says that although it is contentious as to whether the male menopause exists, what is clear is that testosterone levels do fall in men as they grow older.
Authors Dr Kevin Channer, of the Royal Hallamshire Hospital and Dr Tim Jones, of the University of Sheffield, says the statistic of men outnumbering women in the heart attack stakes by three to one is not explained by the difference in risk profile.
Discussing the possibility of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as a future treatment for heart disease patients, the report says: 'Improved formulations of testosterone administration will gradually become available which replace the hormone to physiological concentrations, for example, patches, gels and buccal release. Longer-term studies of HRT for men using these agents are needed to determine whether or not testosterone replacement has beneficial effects on treating coronary heart disease.'
