American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) Responds to Reports Associating Testosterone Replacement Therapy with Increased Cardiovascular Risk
09-22-2015

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – (September 22, 2015) – Citing the lack of compelling evidence connecting testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) with cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke, physicians representing the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) today issued a position statement questioning claims that testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) increases the risk of cardiovascular disease among users.

While several recently published studies support the association of low testosterone concentrations with cardiovascular problems, especially in older men, the AACE position statement notes that low testosterone is often a marker of cardiovascular illness, not a causal factor.

Additionally, the AACE position statement highlights the significant benefits of TRT in men with cardiovascular risk factors, including a decrease in fat mass, an increase in muscle mass, decreased insulin resistance and a reversal of metabolic syndrome in some patients. However, an assessment of any TRT benefits, and potential AACE support for its use, needs to come from patients with documented hypogonadism (i.e., low testosterone), notes AACE president Dr. George Grunberger.

The position statement, prepared by AACE’s Reproductive Endocrinology Scientific Committee, called for large-scale studies focusing on controlled trials to determine the impact of TRT on cardiovascular disease risk. In the interim, AACE recommends TRT clinical decisions be guided by individual patients’ signs and symptoms and testosterone concentrations rather than the underlying cause of low testosterone such as aging.

The position statement is published in Volume 21, Issue 9, September 2015 edition of AACE’s peer-reviewed medical journal Endocrine Practice and can be viewed here: http://journals.aace.com/doi/abs/10.4158/EP14434.PS.

About the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) 
The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) represents more than 6,000 endocrinologists in the United States and abroad. AACE is the largest association of clinical endocrinologists in the world. The majority of AACE members are certified in diabetes, endocrinology and metabolism and concentrate on the treatment of patients with endocrine and metabolic disorders including diabetes, thyroid disorders, osteoporosis, growth hormone deficiency, cholesterol disorders, hypertension and obesity. Visit our website at www.aace.com.

About the Journal

Endocrine Practice, the official journal of the American College of Endocrinology (ACE) and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE), is a peer-reviewed journal published twelve times a year. The Journal publishes the latest information in the treatment of diabetes, thyroid disease, obesity, growth hormone deficiency, sexual dysfunction and osteoporosis, and contains original articles, case reports, review articles, commentaries, editorials, visual vignettes, as well as classified and display advertising.  Special issues of Endocrine Practice also include AACE clinical practice guidelines and other AACE/ACE white papers. Complete content is available on the Endocrine Practice website at http://journals.aace.com.