Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Impaired glycaemic control, resulting in diabetes mellitus type 2 (DMT2), is one of the MS components. In 1998 the UKPDS study showed that over 10 years of observation there were no significant changes in haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in intensive insulin therapy group compared with conventional therapy group. Therefore, we still need new options to treat DMT2. Testosterone is well-known for it’s lipolytic activity; obesity leads to insulin resistance and DMT2.

Objective: To study the glycaemic status in men with androgen deficiency (AD), MS and DMT2, treated with testosterone/placebo.

Materials and methods: Twenty-eight men with MS (IDF criteria), DMT2 (nine patients were on insulin therapy) and AD (total testosterone (TT) <11 nmol/l) received 3 injections of testosterone undecanoate (Nebido, Schering) or placebo. Patients were divided into two groups according to TT levels 12 weeks after the third injection of testosterone/placebo: in group 1 (n=17) TT was normalized up to 15.8 (13.0–21.0) nmol/l and in group 2 (n=11), TT was not normalized (8 (6.5–10.3) nmol/l (normal range (NR) 11–33)). Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) was measured before and after 30 weeks. Statistical analysis was performed using Wilcoxon test.

Results: In group 1, FPG decreased from 6.7 (6.3–9.3) to 6.3 (5.3–877) (P=0.01). In three patients, insulin was no longer needed. In group 2, FPG increased from 6.71 (6.4–7.0) to 7.0 (6.1–7.5), but these changes were not significant (P=0.53).

Conclusion: AD correction in men with MS and DMT2 improves glycaemic parameters.