Prevalence of low serum testosterone levels among men with type 2 diabetes mellitus attending two outpatient diabetes clinics in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa

Background. The reported prevalence of low testosterone among men with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is high. However, there is a dearth of information on the prevalence of androgen deficiency symptoms and low serum testosterone levels in men with T2DM from sub-Saharan Africa. Scanty data are avai...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:South African medical journal 2019-11, Vol.109 (12), p.963
Main Authors: Paruk, I M, Pirie, F J, Nkwanyana, N M, Motala, A A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Africans
Analysis
Androgens
Blood lipids
Diabetes mellitus
Glycosylated hemoglobin
Hemoglobins
Hormones
Lipids
Pituitary hormones
Testosterone
Type 2 diabetes
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Summary:Background. The reported prevalence of low testosterone among men with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is high. However, there is a dearth of information on the prevalence of androgen deficiency symptoms and low serum testosterone levels in men with T2DM from sub-Saharan Africa. Scanty data are available from Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa (SA). Objectives. To determine the prevalence of low serum testosterone and associated risk factors and the prevalence of androgen deficiency symptoms in men with T2DM. Methods. In a cross-sectional observational study, androgen deficiency symptoms in men with T2DM attending two outpatient diabetes clinics in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal Province, SA, were assessed using the Ageing Males' Symptoms Scale (AMS) questionnaire and direct enquiry. Serum total testosterone (TT), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), luteinising hormone (LH), fructosamine, serum lipids and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) were measured and free testosterone (FT) was calculated. TT, SHBG and FT levels were measured in control subjects with no history of diabetes. Results. There were 148 men with T2DM in the study group and 50 control subjects in the control group. In the study group, the majority were black Africans (58.8%); Indians (39.2%) and whites (2.0%) constituted the remainder. The mean (standard deviation (SD)) age was 57.5 (11.2) years, the mean duration of diabetes 11.4 (8.9) years and the mean HbA1c 8.6% (1.9%). Of the study group, 85.8% had metabolic syndrome. Mean TT, SHBG and FT and median LH (interquartile range) in the study group were within normal ranges. However, mean (SD) serum TT and FT were lower in the study group than in the control subjects (14.5 (5.8) v. 18.8 (7.2) nmol/L; p
ISSN:0256-9574
2078-5135
DOI:10.7196/SAMJ.2019.v109i12.013893