Administration of testosterone to elderly hypogonadal men with Crohn's disease improves their Crohn's Disease Activity Index: a pilot study
Abstract
Background: Both elevated and depressed testosterone (T) levels have been reported in Crohn's disease (CD). In this pilot study, effects of T administration on CD were assessed. Materials and methods: A total of 13 men with CD, aged 45–67 years, had subnormal plasma T (mean±SD=9.0±1.4 nmol/L) (reference >12.0); they were compared to a group of 110 men of similar age with sexual and urological problems whose plasma T was also subnormal: 10.4±1.4 nmol/L (p=0.02). All received treatment with parenteral T undecanoate for 24 months. The Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CDAI) was assessed as an indicator of the severity of the disease every 3 months. Levels of T and C-reactive protein (CRP) were compared between the 13 men with CD and the other men in this study. Values of CDAI and CRP were followed-up. Results: CRP levels were 22.7 mg/dL (95% confidence interval of the mean: 14.9–34.3) in the 13 men with CD vs. 3.5 (2.9–4.1) in 107 control men (p=0.001). Upon normalization of serum T, there was a significant decline of CDAI (from 243±19 to 89±9), CRP levels from 22.7±8.1 to 6.9±2.9 mg/dL, and white blood cell count. Hemoglobin/hematocrit increased significantly. Conclusions: Upon normalization of plasma T the CDAI and CRP levels decreased in hypogonadal patients with CD. The mechanism of this improvement could be through immunosuppressive effects of T, reducing chronic inflammation of the intestinal wall in CD.
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In patients with Crohn's disease, C-reactive protein levels continue to decline over 24 months of testosterone treatment.
“In a study in patients with Crohn's disease, CRP levels continued to decline over 24 months (65).”
From Onset of effects of testosterone treatment and time span until maximum effects are achieved (2011) · cites this paper as [65]
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- Authors
- Haider, A., Kurtz, W., Giltay, E. J., Gooren, L. J., & Saad, F.
- Affiliations
- Private Urology Practice, Bremerhaven, Germany
- Klinikum Bremerhaven-Reinkenheide (DE)
- Leiden University Medical Center (NL)
- Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (NL)
- Venue
- hmbci
- Publisher
- Walter de Gruyter GmbH
- Published
- 2010-08-01
- Volume
- 2
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 287-292
- ISSN
- 1868-1883 (ISSN-L)
- 1868-1891
- OpenAlex
- W2072362996
- Cited by
- 10
- References
- 28
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2020: 2 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 2
- FWCI
- 0.24
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Hormone Molecular Biology and Clinical Investigation (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Hormonal and reproductive studies
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Adrenal Hormones and Disorders
- Keywords
- testosterone, hypogonadism, Crohn's disease, testosterone undecanoate, CDAI, C-reactive protein, inflammation, immunosuppression, older men, hematocrit
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