Most men with low testosterone not treated

WATERTOWN, Mass., May 27 (UPI) -- Most U.S. men with androgen deficiency -- lower amounts of male hormones -- may not be receiving treatment despite access to healthcare, U.S. researchers said.

Susan A. Hall of New England Research Institutes, Watertown, Mass., and colleagues examined data collected from 1,486 Boston-area men with an average age 46.4 from April 2002 to June 2005.

A total of 97 men met the criteria for having androgen deficiency and 86 men were symptomatic and untreated, while 11 were prescribed testosterone treatment.

"Men were using the following: testosterone gel, testosterone patch, testosterone cream, testosterone cypionate -- an injectable form of testosterone, or unspecified formulations of testosterone," the authors said in a statement.

Symptoms of androgen deficiency include low libido, erectile dysfunction and osteoporosis and less-specific symptoms include sleep disturbance, depressed mood and tiredness.

The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found 88 percent of the 97 men

with androgen deficiency were not receiving treatment despite adequate access to care.