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Elder Care News
Falls by Elderly Men May Be Caused by Low
Testosterone Levels
 October 23, 2006 - Low testosterone levels may be
associated with a higher risk of falling in older men, according to a
report in the October 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of
the JAMA/Archives journals. And, it leads the authors to suspect that
low testosterone in these senior citizens may also indicate higher risk
for other problems.
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Elder Care News |
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The level of testosterone in a man’s
blood—including the amount that is bioavailable, or able to be used by
the body—declines as he ages, according to background information in the
article.
Some researchers have speculated that this decline
in sex hormone levels contributes to health conditions associated with
aging; however, few studies support this notion. Muscle weakness and
muscle loss are two adverse events that often occur with age and are
known to increase the risk of falling among older adults.
Eric Orwoll, M.D., Oregon Health & Science
University, Portland, and colleagues studied 2,587 men age 65 to 99
(average age 73) who enrolled in the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS)
Study between 2000 and 2002.
At the beginning of the study, blood samples were
taken and participants filled out questionnaires about their medical
history, medications and lifestyle habits. The men completed several
physical performance tests, including those assessing grip strength, leg
power and balance.
Every four months, they reported whether they had
fallen and if so, how many times.
During the course of the study, which continued
until March 2005, 56 percent of the men fell at least once. Those with
lower bioavailable testosterone levels were significantly more likely to
fall and to fall multiple times than those with higher levels. Among the
one-fourth of participants with the lowest testosterone levels, the risk
for falling was 40 percent higher than among the one-fourth with the
highest testosterone levels. The association was stronger in younger men
(ages 65 to 69) and not apparent in men older than 80.
The association remained the same when the
researchers factored in the scores on physical performance tests.
“Bioavailable testosterone concentration is
associated with measures of physical performance, but the association of
testosterone level to the risk of falling is apparent regardless of
physical performance,” the authors write.
“Thus, the mechanisms by which testosterone level
affects the propensity to fall may involve other pathways.” For example,
low testosterone levels could impair vision, thinking processes or
coordination, increasing the risk for falls.
“These findings strengthen the link between
testosterone and the health of older men, suggesting that the effects of
testosterone on fall risk may be via novel mechanisms and provide
insight into how testosterone measurements might be useful for
identifying men at higher risk for adverse events,” the authors
conclude.
“Moreover, these results provide additional
justification for trials of testosterone supplementation in older men
and should aid in the design of those studies.”
Editor's Note: The MrOS Study is supported by the
National Institutes of Health. The following institutes provide support:
the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin
Diseases, the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute for
Dental and Craniofacial Research, the National Cancer Institute and the
National Center for Research Resources. Please see the article for
additional information, including other authors, author contributions
and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
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