Association Between Serum Testosterone Concentration and Carotid Atherosclerosis in Men With Type 2 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE — There is evidence to suggest that low concentrations of testosterone are as-sociated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in men. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between serum testosterone concentration and carotid atherosclerosis as well as major cardiovascular risk factors in men with type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS — Serum free and total testosterone concen-trations were measured in 253 consecutive men with type 2 diabetes. The relationships between serum testosterone concentration and carotid atherosclerosis, determined by ultrasonographi-cally evaluated intima-media thickness (IMT) and plaque score (PS) in a subgroup of 154 diabetic patients, as well as major cardiovascular risk factors, including age, blood pressure, and lipid concentrations, were evaluated. RESULTS — Inverse correlations were found between free testosterone (F-tes) concentration and IMT (r0.206, P 0.0103) and between F-tes concentration and PS (r0.334, P 0.001). The IMT and PS were significantly greater in patients with lower concentrations of F-tes (10 pg/ml) than in patients with higher concentrations of F-tes (1.01 0.29 vs. 0.91 0.26 mm, P 0.038; 4.5 3.8 vs. 2.4 3.2, P 0.0003; respectively). An inverse correlation wa