Testosterone therapy increases risk of heart attack, stroke or death by 29 percent, study says

[rmkicks]

(CBS News) A new study could make men think twice about testosterone therapy. New research shows a link between the hormone treatment and serious health problems.CBS News contributor Dr. David Agus told the "CBS This Morning" co-hosts that this study looked at people with low testosterone, some of whom took the hormone and some of whom did not, and the results were daunting. "In a non-randomized fashion, looking at their computer data, what it showed is dramatic risk - 30 percent higher - heart disease, stroke and death," said Agus. "So, obviously a major issue."Agus said that last year there were 400 million prescriptions in the United States for testosterone therapy and over $2 billion spent on this drug. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, prescriptions for this hormone therapy increased five times from 2000 to 2011.The doctor said that this study was done on men over 60 years old who already showed signs of heart disease, so he said what it means for younger men is not yet known. "We certainly now have to take a pause and say, 'Listen, we need long-term data before we tell a 40-year-old with low T to go on this medicine,'" he said. Agus said that it's important for patients currently on testosterone therapy to talk to their doctor about the study. "Talk to your doctor and really look at your risk of heart disease and your risk of benefit." For Dr. David Agus' full interview, watch the video in the player above. © 2013 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

[ironmako]

I'm posting a link to the study. Obviously I'm stepping into the read with my biases in favor of TRT, but I don't think this study includes using an AI (none was mentioned), nor did I see much description of age. Health conditions of these men were implied to be kinda poor, but its full of a lot of statistical modeling mumbo jumbo with weightings assigned to over a dozen additional health problems, from obesity, to AIDS, to arthritis, etc. How you assign numbers to those conditions is beyond me. Also it excluded people who were on T prior to having a coronary angiography (dye test - not sure if I'd subject myself to that without a known cardiovascular issue, so I thought that implied these guys already had cardiovascular issues. Also excluded anyone with high hematocrit, PSA readings, etc. and was only for guys who did the coronary angiography first and were less than 300 ng/dl.But read it for yourselves, I'm no doc just an engineer.http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleID=1764051[quote]Original Investigation | November 6, 2013Association of Testosterone Therapy With Mortality, Myocardial Infarction, and Stroke in Men With Low Testosterone Levels FREERebecca Vigen, MD, MSCS1; Colin I. O’Donnell, MS2,3; Anna E. Barón, PhD2,3; Gary K. Grunwald, PhD2,3; Thomas M. Maddox, MD, MSc2,3,4; Steven M. Bradley, MD, MPH2,3,4; Al Barqawi, MD3; Glenn Woning, MD3; Margaret E. Wierman, MD2,3; Mary E. Plomondon, PhD2,3,4; John S. Rumsfeld, MD, PhD2,3,4; P. Michael Ho, MD, PhD2,3,4[+] Author AffiliationsJAMA. 2013;310(17):1829-1836. doi:10.1001/jama.2013.280386. Text Size: A A AArticleFiguresTablesReferencesABSTRACTABSTRACT | METHODS | RESULTS | DISCUSSION | CONCLUSION | ARTICLE INFORMATION | REFERENCESImportance Rates of testosterone therapy are increasing and the effects of testosterone therapy on cardiovascular outcomes and mortality are unknown. A recent randomized clinical trial of testosterone therapy in men with a high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases was stopped prematurely due to adverse cardiovascular events raising concerns about testosterone therapy safety.Objectives To assess the association between testosterone therapy and all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), or stroke among male veterans and to determine whether this association is modified by underlying coronary artery disease.Design, Setting, and Patients A retrospective national cohort study of men with low testosterone levels (

[ironmako]

Sorry about the spacing. I dunno WTF was going wrong with it. Here is a cleaner link. Can't copy and paste it cleanly.http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleID=1764051

[Khem]

Kind of a bs study. I just read a study (which I think was here) If I recall correctly, Swedes looked back 30 years and 1 million people were looked at. Ex steroid users statistically were living just as long and healthy lives.