The relationship between health-related quality of life, obesity and testosterone levels in older men

The relationship between health-related quality of life, obesity and testosterone levels in older men

1. Dorte Glintborg1,†, 
2. Torben Leo Nielsen1,†, 
3. Kristian Wraae1, 
4. David Hougaard2,
5. Claire Gudex1, 
6. Kim Brixen1 and 
7. Marianne Andersen1

+Author Affiliations

1. ¹Endocrinology and Metabolism, Odense University Hospital, Kløvervænget 6, 5th Floor, Odense C, Denmark
2. ²Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Immunology, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark

1. Address correspondence to: D. Glintborg, Department of Endocrinology, Odense University Hospital, Sdr. Boulevard 29, DK-5000 Odense C, Denmark. Tel: (+45) 26 40 76 97; Fax: (+45) 65 91 96 53. Email: dorte.glintborg@ouh.regionsyddanmark.dk

• Received April 8, 2013.
• Accepted October 19, 2013.

Abstract

Background: quality of life evaluated by Short-Form 36 (SF-36) is decreased in obesity and hypogonadism, but the importance of regional fat mass is unknown. In the present study, we evaluated associations between SF-36, regional fat deposits and bioavailable testosterone (BioT) in ageing men.

Methods: a population-based cross-sectional study in older men. Data included SF-36 questionnaires with the dimensions such as physical function, role limitations physical, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social function, role limitations emotional and mental health. Furthermore, waist, lean body mass (measured by dual X-ray absorptiometry), visceral adipose tissue and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) (measured by magnetic resonance imaging) and BioT were established.

Results: five hundred and ninety-eight men aged 60–74 years were included. The SF-36 dimensions such as physical function, general health, vitality and role limitations functional were inversely associated with waist and SAT and positively associated with BioT. In multiple regression analysis, waist was the body composition measure with the strongest association with SF-36 dimension scores.

Conclusion: SF-36 dimension scores were more closely associated with central obesity than with BioT.

Clinical trial registration number: www.clinicaltrials.gov,NCT00155961.

Key words

• testosterone
 
• quality of life
 
• body composition
 
• MRI
 
• DXA
 
• men
• older people
 
• SF-36
 
• population-based

• © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com