Table 2.
Baseline Characteristics Related to Cardiovascular Risk.*
| Characteristic | Testosterone (N = 106) |
Placebo (N = 103) |
P Value† |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preexisting cardiovascular disease — no. (%)‡ | 56 (53) | 48 (47) | 0.41 |
| Obesity — no. (%)§ | 48 (45) | 50 (49) | 0.68 |
| Blood pressure — mm Hg | |||
| Systolic | 137±15 | 137±14 | 0.98 |
| Diastolic | 77±10 | 75±10 | 0.21 |
| Hypertension — no. (%)¶ | 90 (85) | 80 (78) | 0.21 |
| Antihypertensive therapy — no. (%) | 90 (85) | 75 (73) | 0.04 |
| Diabetes mellitus — no. (%)¶ | 25 (24) | 28 (27) | 0.63 |
| Glycated hemoglobin — % | 6.2±0.7 | 6.1±0.7 | 0.32 |
| Lipids — mg/dl‖ | |||
| Cholesterol | |||
| Total | 165±35 | 171±39 | 0.24 |
| LDL | 89±30 | 92±33 | 0.51 |
| HDL | 46±13 | 48±18 | 0.20 |
| Triglycerides | 159±111 | 143±69 | 0.20 |
| Hyperlipidemia — no. (%)¶ | 67 (63) | 51 (50) | 0.05 |
| Statin therapy — no. (%) | 66 (62) | 48 (47) | 0.03 |
| Framingham Risk Score — %** | 22±6 | 21±6 | 0.31 |
| Smoking status — no./total no. (%) | 0.66 | ||
| Never smoked | 27/104 (26) | 21/103 (20) | |
| Former smoker | 68/104 (65) | 73/103 (71) | |
| Current smoker | 9/104 (9) | 9/103 (9) |
Plus–minus values are means ±SD. HDL denotes high-density lipoprotein, and LDL low-density lipoprotein.
The P values were calculated with the use of Fisher’s exact test and Student’s t-test.
Preexisting cardiovascular disease was defined as self-reported coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral vascular disease, aortic aneurysm, congestive heart failure, or arrhythmia.
Obesity is defined as a body-mass index (the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters) of 30 or more.
Hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia were considered to be present if the participant reported having received the diagnosis or if he was receiving medication for the condition.
In the testosterone group, data on total and HDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels were available for 105 men, and data on LDL cholesterol level for 103 men; in the placebo group, data on HDL and LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels were available for 101 men, and data on total cholesterol level for 102 men.
Data on the Framingham Risk Score were available for 103 men in the testosterone group and 101 men in the placebo group.