February 2004

Low testosterone associated with depression

Older men with low testosterone levels are more likely to be depressed, according to an article in the February issue of The Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the Journal of the American Medical Association/Archives journals.

According to the article, testosterone deficiency (hypogonadism) is a common condition in older men, occurring in 30 percent of men older than 55. Testosterone levels peak in early adulthood, and then decrease by approximately 1 percent per year after age 40. Symptoms of hypogonadism include decreased muscle mass and strength, decreased bone mineral density, diminished appetite, decreased libido, fatigue and irritability.

Some symptoms overlap with those of depression, but the association between hypogonadism and depression is unclear.

Molly M. Shores, MD, of Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, and colleagues examined the clinical records of 278 men (45 years or older) without depression to examine the relationship between testosterone level and the incidence of diagnosed depression over a two-year period.

The researchers found that over the study period, 21.7 percent of the hypogonadal men were diagnosed with depression, vs. 7.1 percent of men with normal testosterone levels. When the researchers adjusted for age, alcohol-use disorders, prostate cancer and other medical conditions, they found that men with hypogonadism were 4.2 times more likely to be diagnosed with depression.

The study was supported in part by the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) and the Epidemiology Research and Information Center (ERIC) at the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System; by the Royalty Research Fund from the University of Washington, Seattle; and by a Veterans Affairs Merit Review Grant (Dr. Matsumoto).

Source: The Archives of General Psychiatry, 2004;61:162-167

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