Relationship between testosterone serum levels and lifestyle in aging men.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between serum levels of testosterone and free testosterone to lifestyle in aging males. METHODS: Men between 45 and 85 years were assessed regarding body mass index (BMI), nicotine and alcohol consumption, stress level, physical and social activity, and sleeping quality by a self-administered questionnaire. In parallel, serum levels of testosterone (T), free testosterone (fT), LH, FSH, DHEA-S, E2 and SHBG were obtained. RESULTS: In total, 375 men with a mean age of 59.9 years (9.2 +/- SD) entered this study; 25.4% and 27.4% had hypogonadal testosterone or free testosterone serum levels, respectively. Nicotine consumption (smokers had higher levels of T and fT; p < 0.01), BMI (negative correlation to T; p < 0.01) and age (negative correlation to fT; p < 0.001) correlated with serum levels of testosterone or free testosterone. Physical and social activity, nicotine and alcohol consumption, stress level and sleep quality did not show a significant association with serum androgen levels. CONCLUSION: This prospective study of 375 men aged 45 to 85 years confirms the correlation between age, BMI and smoking with serum levels of testosterone and free testosterone, whereas the investigated variety of lifestyle factors did not show a significant association to serum androgen levels.

Management of lower urinary tract symptoms of elderly men in Austria.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this nation-wide study was to determine the current management of elderly men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) due to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and benign prostatic enlargement (BPE) in Austria, and to assess changes over a 4-year study period from 1995 to 1998. METHODS: The annual figures of prostatectomies performed in Austria from 1995 to 1998 were collected from the Austrian Institute for Health Affairs. Sales figures for finasteride, alpha(1)-receptor blockers and plant extracts were obtained from IMS market sales and Austrian regional compulsory insurance companies. These data were correlated with the number of males living in Austria during the study period and to the estimated numbers of elderly men with moderate and severe LUTS in this country. RESULTS: The annual number of transurethral resections of the prostate (TURPs) decreased from 6,302 in 1995 to 5,297 in 1998 (-16%), and the number of open prostatectomies from 506 to 469 (-7%). Extrapolation of these data to 100,000 men aged > or = 55 years revealed that 0.76% underwent TURP in 1995, this figure decreased to 0.59% in 1998. Market sales of alpha(1)-receptor blockers increased by 497% during the study period and those of finasteride by 1.6%, while plant extract market sales declined by 18.2%. In 1998, plant extracts comprised 43.3% of the total BPH market, alpha(1)-receptor blockers 41.5% and finasteride 15.2%. CONCLUSIONS: During the years 1995-1998, significant changes in medical and surgical BPH therapy were observed in Austria. These data provide the basis for a comparison to the situation in other countries and serve as a baseline investigation for future studies in this country.