Late-onset hypogonadism: current concepts and controversies of pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment.

ABSTRACT: Although suppressed serum testosterone (T) is common in ageing men, only a small proportion of them develop the genuine syndrome of low T associated with diffuse sexual (e.g., erectile dysfunction), physical (e.g. loss of vigor and frailty) and psychological (e.g., depression) symptoms. This syndrome carries many names, including male menopause or climacterium, andropause and partial androgen deficiency of the ageing male (PADAM). Late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) describes it best and is therefore generally preferred. The decrease of T in LOH is often marginal, and hypogonadism can be either due to primary testicular failure (low T, high luteinizing hormone (LH)) or secondary to a hypothalamic-pituitary failure (low T, low or inappropriately normal LH). The latter form is more common and it i

SUBMITTER: Huhtaniemi I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3955328 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar-Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature