Table 5.
Changes in Measures of Muscle Performance and Physical Function from Baseline to the End-of-Study Assessment, among Men Receiving Testosterone Therapy.*
| Strength and Performance Measures |
Testosterone | Placebo | Difference between Treatments | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unadjusted | Adjusted for Baseline Mobility | |||||||
| no. of men | mean (95% CI) | no. of men | mean (95% CI) | mean (95% CI) | P value† | mean (95% CI) | P value‡ | |
| Leg-press strength (newtons) | 49 | 156.9 (89.2 to 224.6) | 54 | 27.1 (−28.3 to 82.6) | 129.8 (43.9 to 215.6) | 0.003 | 129.4 (43.5 to 215.4) | 0.004 |
| Chest-press strength (newtons) | 38 | 34.7 (18.7 to 51.4) | 44 | 0.28 (−13.8 to 14.3) | 34.5 (13.2 to 55.8) | 0.002 | 34.5 (13.1 to 56.2) | 0.002 |
| Grip strength in dominant hand (kg) | 63 | 1.0 (−0.1 to 2.0) | 70 | 0.7 (−0.3 to 1.7) | 0.27 (−1.1 to 1.7) | 0.69 | 0.26 (−1.1 to 1.7) | 0.71 |
| 50-m walking speed (m/sec) | ||||||||
| Without a load | 39 | 0.074 (−0.004 to 0.153) | 43 | 0.024 (−0.018 to 0.066) | 0.050 (−0.035 to 0.135) | 0.26 | 0.048 (−0.037 to 0.133) | 0.27 |
| With a load | 26 | 0.139 (0.023 to 0.256) | 29 | 0.065 (0.013 to 0.116) | 0.074 (−0.05 to 0.19) | 0.24 | 0.090 (−0.030 to 0.209) | 0.14 |
| Stair-climbing power (W) | ||||||||
| Without a load | 49 | 19.5 (7.4 to 31.5) | 52 | 10.7 (−2.9 to 24.3) | 8.7 (−9.2 to 26.7) | 0.34 | 8.1 (−9.9 to 26.2) | 0.37 |
| With a load | 46 | 39.2 (14.4 to 64.0) | 50 | 9.0 (−8.4 to 26.4) | 30.2 (0.3 to 60.1) | 0.05 | 29.7 (0.2 to 59.3) | 0.05 |
| Lift-and-lower test§ | 36 | 4.4 (2.5 to 6.4) | 45 | 2.6 (0.8 to 4.3) | 1.9 (−0.8 to 4.5) | 0.16 | 1.9 (−0.7 to 4.4) | 0.15 |
The end-of-study assessment was performed either at the end of the 6-month intervention period or at the last visit, if possible, in cases in which the study medication was discontinued before 6 months. Results are reported only for men who were able to perform the relevant tests at baseline. CI denotes confidence interval.
We calculated the P values in the unadjusted analysis using two-sample Student’s t-tests of equal change in the trial groups, allowing unequal variance and using Satterthwaite’s approximation to degrees of freedom.
We calculated the P values in the adjusted analysis using multiple linear regression, with adjustment for baseline total score on the Short Physical Performance Battery and self-report of limitations in mobility.
The scores on the lift-and-lower test refer to the number of shelves a subject was able to touch with a weighted basket in 1 minute. Higher scores indicate better performance.