madman
Super Moderator
Eureka! The Top Endocrine Science of 2024 - Part IV - Endocrine News
For the tenth year running, Endocrine News talks to editors from Endocrine Society publications to unearth the most impressive breakthroughs in endocrine science and research for 2024. This year, we also talk to some of the “scientists behind the science” to get their insights on their...
endocrinenews.endocrine.org
Shalender Bhasin, MB, BS: The Scientist Behind the Science:
“The TRAVERSE Trial is the largest and one of the longest randomized trials of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) in middle-aged and older men with hypogonadism. The TRAVERSE trial’s findings have several important clinical implications,” according to lead author of Depressive Syndromes in Men With Hypogonadism in the TRAVERSE Trial: Response to Testosterone-Replacement Therapy,” Shalender Bhasin, MB, BS, of the Research Program in Men’s Health: Aging and Metabolism, Boston Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School in Boston, Mass.
“First, a majority of middle-aged and older men with hypogonadism enrolled in TRAVERSE (50.8%) reported significant depressive symptoms. So middle-aged and older men with hypogonadism should be evaluated for depressive symptoms because depression adversely affects quality of life, ability to function in daily life, and increases the risk of substance use and self-harm.
Second, the trial, by virtue of its large size and relatively long duration, provided the first high-quality evidence that TRT improves mood and energy in men with hypogonadism and low mood.
Third, over 10% of men in the trial reported major depressive disorder or had severe depressive symptoms. TRT did not improve depressive symptoms in these men with major depressive disorder. Thus, TRT does not represent an effective treatment option for most men with clinical depressive disorders.
Fourth, the trial dispelled a widely held dogma in the field that mid- or late-life onset, low-grade, persistent depressive disorder (LG-PDD, previously called dysthymia) is specifically associated with testosterone deficiency and improves with TRT. The prevalence of late life LG-PDD in the study participants was very low (about 1.5%).
The TRAVERSE trial’s findings should facilitate a more informed appraisal of the benefits and risks of testosterone treatment by middle-aged and older men with hypogonadism and their clinicians.”
