The andropause symptoms and its relationship with the blood testosterone: a preliminary cross-sectional study in Ahvaz, Iran

Introduction: Andropause is an age-related decline in serum testosterone level and a constellation of signs and symptoms of hypogonadism. The primary aim of this study was; to evaluate the andropause symptoms and its relationship with the blood testosterone in Iranian men in Ahvaz.

Materials & Methods: In this preliminary study 90 male university staffs with an age of more than 40 were randomly recruited from Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences. Participants were asked to complete the androgen decline in the aging male (ADAM) questionnaire. Anthropometrics and their serum levels of free and total testosterone were measured.

Results: According to the ADAMs questionnaire, 66 (73.3%) reported andropause symptoms, of which 9 (13.8%) of them had a low level of free testosterone and 39 (59.2%) had a low level of total testosterone. The remaining symptomatic men had a normal level of free testosterone. There was no significant relationship between participants with and without andropause symptoms regarding age, BMI, blood pressure, income, free and total testosterone.

Conclusion: There was a high level of andropause symptoms according to the ADAM questionnaire that was highly discrepant with the blood test for total and free testosterone. It seems that some symptoms in the ADAM questionnaire may relate to the other socio-economic factors e.g. income.

Keywords: Andropause symptoms; Free testosterone; Total testosterone; ADAM questionnaire