Table 1.
Demographics and clinical characteristics of the 126 prevalent HD men included in the studya
| Characteristic | Low Testosterone n = 42 | Non-Low Testosterone n = 84 | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, yr | 66 (59 to 72) | 60 (47 to 74) | NS |
| Vintage, mo | 33 (16 to 57) | 24 (12 to 52) | NS |
| Diabetes mellitus, % | 31 | 25 | NS |
| CVD, % | 79 | 60 | <0.05 |
| Wasting (SGA > 1), % | 54 | 30 | <0.01 |
| s-albumin, g/L | 33 ± 5 | 36 ± 4 | <0.01 |
| s-creatinine, μmol/L | 776 ± 228 | 859 ± 206 | <0.05 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 23.9 ± 4.7 | 24.1 ± 3.9 | NS |
| Handgrip, kg | 22.7 ± 10.8 | 26.9 ± 11.1 | <0.05 |
| CRP, mg/L | 16.0 (4.3 to 38.5) | 6.0 (2.1 to 12.7) | <0.0001 |
| IL-6, pg/ml | 15.0 (8.1 to 25.8) | 7.0 (4.6 to 11.7) | <0.0001 |
| Fibrinogen, g/L | 4.8 (3.6 to 6.3) | 4.1 (3.4 to 5.0) | <0.05 |
| Pentraxin 3, ng/ml | 16.3 (8.9 to 20.1) | 9.2 (6.2 to 14.9) | 0.003 |
| Hemoglobin, g/dl | 11.9 ± 1.4 | 12.2 ± 1.2 | NS |
| ESA dose, U/Kg/wk | 183 (84 to 296) | 114 (70 to 171) | <0.01 |
| Hypochromic RBCs, % | 4.2 (1.1 to 8.5) | 0.9 (0.4 to 1.8) | <0.0001 |
| SHBG, nmol/L | 22.5 (15.0 to 34.0) | 29.5 (21.0 to 43.5) | <0.01 |
| Total testosterone, nmol/L | 6.3 (4.5 to 7.2) | 12.0 (9.9 to 13.7) | <0.0001 |
| Free testosterone, nmol/L | 0.15 (0.09 to 0.19) | 0.27 (0.21 to 0.33) | <0.0001 |
| Bioavailable testosterone, nmol/L | 2.9 (1.6 to 3.5) | 5.2 (4.1 to 6.9) | <0.0001 |
| Progesterone, nmol/L | 3.6 (2.8 to 4.6) | 3.2 (2.2 to 4.9) | NS |
a
A low testosterone level was defined as below the 33rd percentile (lower tertile) of distribution in our sample population. Data are presented as median (interquartile range) or average ± SD. For conversion of SHBG to μg/dl, divide by 0.025; for conversion of free or bioavailable testosterone to ng/dl, divide by 0.0347; and for conversion of progesterone to ng/dl, divide by 31.8.