(BALA) MEDICAL UPDATE: Low Testosterone Levels

(BALA) MEDICAL UPDATE: Low Testosterone Levels

BEING ALIVE; April 1995
presented by Mark Katz MD and reported by Jim Stoecker

We have heard about low testosterone levels in HIV+ men in a number of past updates. However, very little information has been found in the medical literature. That is why I bring to your attention a study out of Columbia University and published in the Journal of AIDS.

In this study, researchers looked at 234 HIV+ men with a mean CD4 count of 157. The researchers found that there was a significant correlation between CD4 count and testosterone level. In other words, the lower the CD4 count, the lower the testosterone level. They also identified five testosterone depleting drugs: fluconazole, ketoconazole, Megace, Tagamet and ganciclovir. People who were on any one of these drugs had lower testosterone levels than men not on any of these medications. People on Megace, in particular, were identified as having extremely low testosterone levels.

Low levels of testosterone in men are associated with fatigue, weight loss and decreased libido. If you have any of these symptoms, you should have a test of your serum testosterone level to determine if treatment is needed.

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©1995. AEGIS.