Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) is a widespread metabolic disorder associated with chronic complications. Few studies have explored the relation between chronic complications in type 2 diabetic males presenting an hypogonadism (HG). Understanding how T2D, its complications, and HG are connected is crucial for overall health. This study aims to explore these links in simpler terms.

Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study that included 250 adult men with T2D. Participants underwent a clinical examination and metabolic and hormonal assessments. The diagnosis of HG was established based on the Vermeulen criteria, involving the measurement of total testosterone and the calculation of free testosterone.

Results: The prevalence of impaired glucose was 27.2% (n=68). The average duration of diabetes was 12.5 ± 7.4 years [Range: 1-31]. Patients with a diabetes duration exceeding 10 years accounted for more than half of the cases (62.2%). In total, 52% of the patients exhibited chronic complications of diabetes. Microangiopathic complications were present in one hundred and nine patients, accounting for 44.1% of the total. In 37.6% of cases, retinopathy was observed, while nephropathy affected 25.6% (n=64) and neuropathy impacted 18% of the total. One-fourth of the patients had macroangiopathic complications, accounting for 25.8%. Among these complications, 50 patients (20%) exhibited coronary involvement. A history of stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) was found in 2.4% of the patients. Lower limb arteritis was observed in 9.7% of the cases. Sixty-eight patients were diagnosed with HG, representing 27.2%. When comparing the HG and non-HG groups, there was no correlation between the prevalence of impaired glucose and microangiopathic complications (P=0.071). Regarding retinopathy (42.4% vs 39.9%; P=0.402), nephropathy (27.3% vs 25.7%; P=0.452), and neuropathy (18.2% vs 19.2%; P=0.516), no significant differences were observed. Similarly, for macroangiopathy, coronary insufficiency and lower limb arteriopathy were nearly identical in the two groups, HG and non-HG, respectively: 19.7% vs 20.8%; P=0.511 and 9.1% vs 10.2%; P=0.514. Regarding stroke/TIA, they were more frequent in patients with hypogonadism, 4.5% vs 1.7%, but this correlation was not statistically significant (P=0.199).

Conclusion: The study reveals no significant correlation between HG and key parameters, including diabetes duration, micro and macroangiopathic complications. The lack of association prompts further investigation into the complex relationships between HG and diabetic complications.

Reference: 1. Vermeulen A, Verdonck L, Kaufman JM. A critical evaluation of simple methods for the estimation of free testosterone in serum. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1999;84(10):3666-3672. doi:10.1210/jcem.84.10.6079