Androgens, Estrogens, and Bone in Men
Authors: Ronald S. Swerdloff
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2000)

Editorials19 December 2000Androgens, Estrogens, and Bone in MenRonald S. Swerdloff, MD and Christina Wang, MDRonald S. Swerdloff, MDDrs. Swerdloff and Wang: Harbor-UCLA Medical Center; Torrance, CA 90502Search for more papers by this author and Christina Wang, MDDrs. Swerdloff and Wang: Harbor-UCLA Medical Center; Torrance, CA 90502Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-133-12-200012190-00017 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail It is well established that serum testosterone levels decrease as men age. Bone mineral density decreases with age in both women and men, and 30% of all hip fractures occur in men. The possibility that these two observations are linked and that replacement of androgens in older androgen-deficient men will have positive effects on bone has considerable medical and economic importance.In this issue, Amin and colleagues (1) report a lack of relationship between serum levels of total testosterone and bone mineral density in a well-established and often-studied population of older men. However, they found a strong positive correlation between ...References1. Amin S, Zhang Y, Sawin CT, Evans SR, Hannan MT, Kiel DP, et al . Association of hypogonadism and estradiol levels with bone mineral density in elderly men from the Framingham Study. Ann Intern Med. 2000;133:951-63. LinkGoogle Scholar2. Jackson JA, Kleerekoper M. Osteoporosis in men: diagnosis, pathophysiology, and prevention. Medicine Baltimore. 1990;69:137-52. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Seeman E. Osteoporosis in men. Baillieres Clin Rheumatol. 1997;11:613-29. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Orwoll ES. Androgens and bone: clinical aspects.. In: Orwoll ES, eds. Osteoporosis in Men. San Diego: Academic Pr; 1999:247-74. Google Scholar5. Bilezikian JP. Osteoporosis in men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1999;84:3431-4. MedlineGoogle Scholar6. Finkelstein JS, Klibanski A, Neer RM, Greenspan SL, Rosenthal DI, Crowley WF. Osteoporosis in men with idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Ann Intern Med. 1987;106:354-61. LinkGoogle Scholar7. Katznelson L, Finkelstein JS, Schoenfeld DA, Rosenthal DI, Anderson EJ, Klibanski A. Increase in bone density and lean body mass during testosterone administration in men with acquired hypogonadism. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1996;81:4358-65. MedlineGoogle Scholar8. Behre HM, Kliesch S, Leifke E, Link TM, Nieschlag E. Long-term effect of testosterone therapy on bone mineral density in hypogonadal men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1997;82:2386-90. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. Guo CY, Jones TH, Eastell R. Treatment of isolated hypogonadotropic hypogonadism effect on bone mineral density and bone turnover. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1997;82:658-65. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. Snyder PJ, Peachey H, Hannoush P, Berlin JA, Loh L, Holmes JH, et al . Effect of testosterone treatment on bone mineral density in men over 65 years of age. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1999;84:1966-72. MedlineGoogle Scholar11. Francis RM. The effects of testosterone on osteoporosis in men. Clin Endocrinol Oxf. 1999;50:411-4. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar12. Smith EP, Boyd J, Frank GR, Takahashi H, Cohen RM, Specker B, et al . Estrogen resistance caused by a mutation in the estrogen-receptor gene in a man. N Engl J Med. 1994;331:1056-61. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar13. Morishima A, Grumbach MM, Simpson ER, Fisher C, Qin K. Aromatase deficiency in male and female siblings caused by a novel mutation and the physiological role of estrogens. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1995;80:3689-98. MedlineGoogle Scholar14. Carani C, Qin K, Simoni M, Faustini-Fustini M, Serpente S, Boyd J, et al . Effect of testosterone and estradiol in a man with aromatase deficiency. N Engl J Med. 1997;337:91-5. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar15. Wang C, Eyre DR, Clark R, Kleinberg D, Newman C, Iranmanesh A, et al . Sublingual testosterone replacement improves muscle mass and strength, decreases bone resorption, and increases bone formation markers in hypogonadal men—a clinical research center study. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1996;81:3654-62. MedlineGoogle Scholar16. Raisz LG, Wiita B, Artis A, Bowen A, Schwartz S, Trahiotis M, et al . Comparison of the effects of estrogen alone and estrogen plus androgen on biochemical markers of bone formation and resorption in postmenopausal women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1996;81:37-43. MedlineGoogle Scholar17. Orwoll ES, Stribrska L, Ramsey EE, Keenan EJ. Androgen receptors in osteoblast-like cell lines. Calcif Tissue Int. 1991;49:183-7. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar18. Bellido T, Jilka RL, Boyce BF, Girasole G, Broxmeyer H, Dalrymple SA, et al . Regulation of interleukin-6, osteoclastogenesis, and bone mass by androgens. The role of the androgen receptor. J Clin Invest. 1995;95:2886-95. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar19. Weinstein RS, Jilka RL, Parfitt AM, Manolagas SC. The effects of androgen deficiency on murine bone remodeling and bone mineral density are mediated via cells of the osteoblastic lineage. Endocrinology. 1997;138:4013-21. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar20. Turner RT, Wakley GK, Hannon KS. Differential effects of androgens on cortical bone histomorphometry in gonadectomized male and female rats. J Orthop Res. 1990;8:612-7. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Drs. Swerdloff and Wang: Harbor-UCLA Medical Center; Torrance, CA 90502Disclosure: Drs. Swerdloff and Wang are consultants to companies that are developing androgens for treatment of androgen-deficient older men and hypogonadal younger men and are investigators in clinical trials of these drugs. Funds generated by these activities go to Harbor-UCLA Research and Education Institute.Corresponding Author: Ronald S. Swerdloff, MD, Division of Endocrinology, Box 446, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, 1000 West Carson Street, Torrance, CA 90509-2910; e-mail, [email protected]humc.edu.Current Author Addresses: Dr. Swerdloff: Division of Endocrinology, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, 1000 West Carson Street, Box 446, Torrance, CA 90509-2910.Dr. Wang: General Clinical Research Center, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, 1000 West Carson Street, Box 16, Torrance, CA 90509-2910. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoAssociation of Hypogonadism and Estradiol Levels with Bone Mineral Density in Elderly Men from the Framingham Study Shreyasee Amin , Yuqing Zhang , Clark T. Sawin , Stephen R. Evans , Marian T. Hannan , Douglas P. Kiel , Peter W.F. Wilson , and David T. Felson Metrics Cited ByPhysiology of the ProstateAndrogen-induced mineralization by MC3T3-E1 osteoblastic cells reveals a critical window of hormone responsivenessOsteoporosis in anorexia nervosa: Prevention and treatmentAndrogens and BoneOsteoporosis: Prevention and treatment in anorexia nervosa 19 December 2000Volume 133, Issue 12Page: 1002-1004KeywordsAndrogensBoneBone and mineral metabolismBone densityEstradiolEstrogensOsteopeniaOsteoporosisTestosteroneTotal hip replacement ePublished: 19 December 2000 Issue Published: 19 December 2000 CopyrightCopyright © 2000 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...