| It is been considered for many years that Men | | | | testosterone therapy on their own should avoid |
| with Heart Failure should avoid from taking | | | | the temptation, he said. "It is absolutely |
| hormone treatments like HGH Therapy and | | | | contraindicated that patients choose testosterone, |
| especially Testosterone Therapy. But from | | | | as well as all drugs, on their own," Iellamo said. |
| current studies it is been observed that | | | | The warning is especially important for men with |
| testosterone supplementation is useful for both | | | | high levels of prostate-specific antigen, an indicator |
| patients with low and normal testosterone levels, | | | | of prostate cancer risk, he noted. |
| although the improvements are greater in those | | | | "This study confirms our previous finding for a |
| with low levels. This was observed by "Dr. | | | | beneficial effect of testosterone in men with |
| Ferdinando Iellamo", an assistant professor of | | | | moderate chronic heart failure, improving |
| internal medicine at the University of Rome Tor | | | | functional exercise capacity and insulin resistance," |
| Vergata, and lead author of a report in the Sept. | | | | said Dr. T. Hugh Jones, a consultant endocrinologist |
| 1 issue of the Journal of the American College of | | | | at the University of Sheffield in England. |
| Cardiology. | | | | Jones and his colleagues have reported two |
| The Italian study included 70 elderly men with | | | | studies with positive results, one using |
| heart failure, all of whom had low testosterone | | | | testosterone injections, the other using a |
| levels. All received standard heart therapy, but | | | | hormone-delivering skin patch. |
| half also received injections of 1,000 milligrams of | | | | "Historically, testosterone replacement therapy |
| long-acting testosterone at the start, and again at | | | | has been contraindicated in men with chronic |
| six and 12 weeks. A series of examinations - | | | | heart failure," Jones said. "This was due to the |
| electrocardiograms, exercise tests and | | | | fluid retention observed with older forms of |
| assessments of muscle strength - showed | | | | testosterone preparation. This study, along with |
| improvements in the men who received the | | | | our studies, show that testosterone is safe in |
| hormone replacement therapy treatment but not | | | | these patients and has a benefit on the underlying |
| in those who didn't. | | | | condition." |
| It's not possible to specify the timing and dosage | | | | But the case for testosterone therapy in heart |
| of testosterone therapy for men wsaid. | | | | failure is far from proven, he said. "Now, |
| "There is no current guideline," he said. "However, | | | | longer-term studies evaluating effects on survival, |
| our study indicates that long-acting testosterone | | | | quality of life and longer-term safety need to be |
| at the dose and intervals we employed [to date | | | | done to establish if this treatment should be used |
| used only in patients with hypogonadism] is safe | | | | routinely in the treatment of in men," Jones said. |
| and well-tolerated in patients . | | | | Jones also told that case for testosterone |
| The study was not designed to determine | | | | therapy in heart failure is far from proven. He also |
| whether testosterone therapy would prolong | | | | said that studies shows longer-term survival, |
| survival of men with failure, Iellamo said. "Future | | | | quality of life and longer-term safety need to be |
| large trials are needed to appropriately evaluate | | | | done to establish if this treatment should be used |
| the outcome," he said. | | | | routinely in the treatment of heart failure in men. |
| Men with heart failure who are tempted to try | | | | |