135 Low Plasma Testosterone is Associated with Elevated Cardiovascular Disease Biomarkers

Abstract

Background-The relationship between testosterone (T) plasma concentration and cardiovascular risk is unclear, with evidence supporting increased risk in men with both low and high T levels. Few studies have assessed cardiovascular (CV) risk as a function of plasma T levels using objective biomarkers.Aim-To determine the relationship between T levels and high-sensitivity (hs) CV risk biomarkers.Methods-10,041 male patients were identified in the database of a commercial clinical laboratory performing biomarker testing. Patients were grouped by total T concentration and associations with the following biomarkers were determined: cardiac troponin I (cTnI), endothelin-1 (ET-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-17A (IL-17A), N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), hs c-reactive protein (CRP), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and leptin. Outcomes-The association of CV risk markers with levels of T in men.Results-The median (interquartile range) age in the cohort was 58 (48, 68) years, and the median plasma T level was 420 (304, 565) ng/dL; T levels did not vary with patient age. An inverse relationship between plasma T levels and CV risk was observed for 9 of 10 cardiovascular markers: cTnI, ET-1, IL-6, TNF-α, NTproBNP, HDL, hsCRP, HbA1c, and leptin. Even after adjusting for age, BMI, HbA1c, hsCRP, and HDL levels, the CV markers IL-6, ET-1, NTproBNP, and leptin were significantly associated with T <250 ng/dL.