Abstract
Abstract
Background:
Late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) is due to age-related steep declines in free testosterone levels in middle age. LOH can induce a variety of signs and symptoms that deteriorate the quality-of-life (QOL) of middle-aged men. This study examined the circadian rhythm of salivary testosterone levels in three age cohorts: 20s–30s, 40s–50s, and 60s+ to investigate the association between QOL and testosterone levels in adult Japanese men.
Subjects and Methods:
Eighty-one healthy male Japanese volunteers and 20 LOH patients in their 40s–50s were recruited. Their salivary testosterone levels were measured as were independent variables including Body Mass Index (BMI) and smoking rates. The SF-36 v2 was used as the health-related questionnaire to evaluate QOL. Saliva samples were collected at 2-hour intervals between 9:00 am and 9:00 pm. Salivary testosterone levels were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA: Demeditec Diagnostics, Germany).
Results:
There were no significant differences in BMI and smoking rates among the three healthy groups. However, scores from the SF-36 related to body pain were significantly lower in the 40s–50s cohort than in the 20s–30s group. The mean salivary testosterone levels in the 40s–50s group were the lowest at any point of time, except for 9:00 am among all healthy cohorts, and were similar to those of LOH patients. A circadian rhythm was seen in salivary testosterone levels in the 20s–30s and 40s–50s groups, whereas it was lost in the 60s+ group and in LOH patients.
Conclusion:
Middle-aged Japanese men had the lowest levels of salivary testosterone and the worst QOL scores in relation to body pain, which may affect their overall QOL.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.