Testosterone plays an essential role in the
development of the normal male and in the maintenance of many male
characteristics, including muscle mass and strength, bone mass, libido,
potency, and spermatogenesis.
Androgen deficiency occurs with disorders
that damage the testes, including traumatic or surgical castration (primary
testicular failure) or disorders in which the gonadotropin stimulation of
the testes is reduced (hypogonadotropic hypogonadism). The clinical
manifestations of androgen deficiency depend on the age at onset and the
severity and duration of the deficiency. In adult males, these
manifestations may include reduced body hair, decreased muscle mass and
strength, increased fat mass, decreased hematocrit, decreased libido,
erectile dysfunction, infertility, osteoporosis, and depressed mood.
The forms of androgen replacement currently
available in the United States are intramuscular depot injections of
testosterone esters, oral tablets of testosterone derivatives, and
transdermal patches.
For most patients, androgen replacement
therapy with testosterone is a safe, effective treatment for testosterone
deficiency.
Citation:
Arch Fam Med.1999;8:257-263.
[full
text at Archives of Family Medicine]