New Long-Acting Injection in Development
WASHINGTON and CHADDS FORD, Pa., June 10 /PRNewswire/ -- About 63 percent of men who suffered from low testosterone saw two or more doctors before the condition was diagnosed, and once treated, nearly 30 percent of men said they stopped taking their medicine, according to results of a survey released today.
Results of the poll of more than 100 men who had been diagnosed with and treated for low testosterone, were released at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society. The most frequent symptoms respondents reported were lack of energy (87 percent), decreased concentration (83 percent), loss of sex drive (82 percent) and the inability to get or maintain an erection (80 percent).
An estimated 13.9 million American men have low testosterone, also known as hypogonadism, yet only 9 percent of men are currently being treated with testosterone replacement therapy. The condition takes a significant toll on men's lives. Among men polled, 97 percent said low testosterone had a somewhat or very negative impact on the sexual aspect of their lives, and 90 percent said it adversely affected their self esteem.
'Low testosterone levels may have a marked impact on a man's sense of well being,' said Raymond Rosen, Ph.D., Chief Scientist of the New England Research Institutes in Watertown, Mass. Among men polled, 61 percent said they were generally unsatisfied with their lives before being treated.
Low testosterone is associated with a broad range of physical, psychological and sexual symptoms including decreased energy and mood, fatigue, loss of muscle mass, depressed libido and erectile dysfunction. In addition, low testosterone has been associated with other serious medical conditions including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome.
'These symptoms are vague and non-specific, which may account for the apparent under-diagnosis of low testosterone,' Dr. Martin M. Miner, MD , Co-Director of the Men's Health Center Miriam Hospital and Clinical, Providence, R.I. and Associate Clinical Professor of Family Medicine Warren Alpert School of Medicine of Brown University, said. According to the survey, 36 percent of respondents saw two physicians before being diagnosed while 19 percent saw three doctors and 9 percent saw four. 'This clearly speaks to the need for greater awareness among physicians of the condition and also for more patient-friendly treatments, since most men with this hormone deficiency will need to stay on treatment for life,' Dr. Miner said.
Current treatment options include transdermal patches and gels that must be applied to the skin on a daily basis. Patients using gels must take care to prevent any transfer of testosterone to partners or children, as they have been associated with inappropriate genitalia enlargement and aggression in children. Short-acting testosterone injections are another, less popular treatment option that must be administered every two to four weeks.
'Despite the benefits of treatment, staying on therapy can be a problem for some men,' Dr. Rosen said. According to the survey, 64 percent of men had used two or more testosterone replacement medicines, and 28 percent of men reported that they had stopped taking their medication at some point.
