When a man experiences abnormal fatigue, decreasing libido and starts to gain weight around the middle, often the cause is a deficiency in the male sexual hormone testosterone.
Though this is typically a problem among older men, it is being diagnosed increasingly in younger men. Sometimes, however, the cause of the symptoms is unclear and a treatment is not necessary.
The problem affects a lot of men. The testosterone level in an estimated 20 percent of German men being treated by their general practitioner is too low.
“We have determined that 30 to 40-year-old men also can have low testosterone when certain factors combine,” said Harald Joern Schneider, an endocrinologist at the University of Munich. These include weight gain, particularly at the waistline, and chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, high blood sugar, elevated blood lipids and obesity.
The reason overweight plays such a role is fatty tissue contains an enzyme that transforms testosterone into estrogen, the female hormone, said Jens Jacobeit, a physician in a Hamburg clinic that specializes in endocrinology.
Stress also enters into the picture as a possible trigger for the condition. The stress hormone cortisone suppresses testosterone production, Jacobeit said. A testosterone deficiency, however, can have other more clear-cut causes such as dysfunction of the pituitary gland or the testicles.
But the diagnosis can still raise questions because the symptoms vary and there is no symptom that without a doubt points to a testosterone deficiency, Schneider said. A series of things come into question, for example a reduction in sexual desire, difficulty in getting an erection, fatigue, a decline in muscle mass and an increase in body fat. There are, however, people with reduced to low testosterone values who live completely without problems.
“When a man wants a prescription for a testosterone supplement just because of low libido or erectile dysfunction, it counterproductive because these symptoms often have entirely different causes,” said Harald Klein, professor of general endocrinology at Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany. He rejects the idea of using testosterone as a lifestyle and anti-aging medicine. Too much testosterone can cause liver damage and any other risks of taking it are not yet known.
But a man who clearly has a deficiency should take a testosterone substitute. Otherwise, bone density can be affected, causing irreparable damage. A key point is that the patient should see an expert such as an endocrinologist or an andrologist, a physician who specializes in men’s health.
“The diagnosis does not belong in the hands of an internist or general practitioner,” Jacobeit said.
And the specialist must carefully weigh the gains and the risks of a therapy. Often it’s possible to resolve the problems without medicine.
“When the patient loses weight, he has a good chance of getting his testosterone level back to normal,” Schneider said.
Hundreds of protesters marched through the Mexican capital on Friday denouncing gentrification caused by foreigners, with some vandalizing businesses and shouting “gringos out!” The demonstration in the capital’s central area turned violent when hooded individuals smashed windows, damaged restaurant furniture and looted a clothing store. Mexico City Government Secretary Cesar Cravioto said 15 businesses and public facilities were damaged in what he called “xenophobic expressions” similar to what Mexican migrants have suffered in other countries. “We are a city of open arms... there are always ways to negotiate, to sit at the table,” Cravioto told Milenio television. Neighborhoods like Roma-Condesa
‘CONTINUE TO SERVE’: The 90-year-old Dalai Lama said he hoped to be able to continue serving ‘sentient beings and the Buddha Dharma’ for decades to come The Dalai Lama yesterday said he dreamed of living for decades more, as the Buddhist spiritual leader prayed with thousands of exiled Tibetans on the eve of his 90th birthday. Thumping drums and deep horns reverberated from the Indian hilltop temple, as a chanting chorus of red-robed monks and nuns offered long-life prayers for Tenzin Gyatso, who followers believe is the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. Looking in good health, dressed in traditional maroon monk robes and a flowing yellow wrap, he led prayers — days after confirming that the 600-year-old Tibetan Buddhist institution would continue after his death. Many exiled Tibetans
Dozens of residents have evacuated remote islands in southern Japan that have been shaken by nearly 1,600 earthquakes in recent weeks, the local mayor said yesterday. There has been no major physical damage on hardest-hit Akuseki island, even after a magnitude 5.1 quake that struck overnight, said Toshima Mayor Genichiro Kubo, who is based on another island. However, the almost nonstop jolts since June 21 have caused severe stress to area residents, many of whom have been deprived of sleep. Of the 89 residents of Akuseki, 44 had evacuated to the regional hub of Kagoshima by Sunday, while 15 others also left another
CEREMONY EXPECTED: Abdullah Ocalan said he believes in the power of politics and social peace, not weapons, and called on the group to put that into practice The jailed leader of a Kurdish militant group yesterday renewed a call for his fighters to lay down their arms, days before a symbolic disarmament ceremony is expected to take place as a first concrete step in a peace process with the Turkish state. In a seven-minute video message broadcast on pro-Kurdish Medya Haber’s YouTube channel, Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), said that the peace initiative had reached a stage that required practical steps. “It should be considered natural for you to publicly ensure the disarmament of the relevant groups in a way that addresses the expectations
RSS