Impaired aortic elastic properties in patients with adult-onset hypogonadism.

AbstractBackground. Recent studies have shown a strong relationship between testosterone levels and vasomotor actions. The aim of this study is to compare the elastic properties of the aorta in male patients with hypogonadism and eugonadal healthy control subjects. Method. A total of 22 male with hypogonadism (mean age: 35.2 ± 9.5 years, mean disease duration: 5.3 ± 1.8 years) and 25 age-, sex- and weight-matched eugonadal healthy subjects (mean age: 34.5 ± 8.2 years) were enrolled in the study. Aortic stiffness (β) index, aortic strain (AoS) and aortic distensibility (AoD) were calculated from the aortic diameters measured by transthoracic echocardiography and blood pressure obtained by sphygmomanometer. Results. The routinely performed echocardiographic parameters were similar between patient and control groups. There were significant differences between the control and patient groups in β index (1.75 ± 0.44 vs 2.68 ± 1.72, p < 0.001), AoS (18.52 ± 6.44 vs 12.35 ± 3.88%, p < 0.001) and AoD (7.56 ± 2.86 ...