Araştirma Makalesi (Research Article)

The study aimed to determine the serum testosterone levels and the influence of obesity and cigarette smoking on testosterone levels in hypertensive men. Serum testosterone levels and blood pressure were measured in 40 hypertensive males and 40 age-matched non hypertensive healthy males in Calabar, Southern Nigeria, using the enzyme labeled immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique and sphygmomanometric methods. The body mass indices (BMI) and personal data were obtained. The mean testosterone levels of hypertensives and non-hypertensives were found as 2.50 ± 1.60, and 9.00 ± 2.80 ng/ml, respectively. The testosterone levels of hypertensives were significantly lower than those of the normotensives (p<0.05). There was also a significant reduction in the testosterone levels of smoking hypertensives than those in non-smoking hypertensives (p<0.05). A significant variation was observed between the testosterone levels and the BMI, along with the finding that the testosterone levels decreased by increasing BMI (P<0.05). No age related decrease was observed in the testosterone levels in all subjects of the study. Hypertension, obesity and cigarette smoking are associated with lowered testosterone levels in men. The nature of the relationship between hypertension and testosterone levels needs further investigation.