Page 30 — Healthy Cells Magazine — Peoria — September 2012

Low Testosterone Signs and Symptoms:Not Just a Part of Aging

Submitted by the Midwest Urological Group

Men's health

Have you been feeling unusually tired even after a full night’s rest? Do you fall asleep in your chair after eating dinner? Have you lost your edge, your sexual drive, or even the abil-

ity to achieve an erection? Have you gained extra weight—espe-cially in your abdominal region—even though your eating habits have remained the same? Do you take chronic pain medication for conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, or hyperlipidemia? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, you may have a condition known as male hypogonadism, better known as low testosterone.

How Common is Low Testosterone After age 30, a typical man loses one to two percent of his testosterone per year as part of the natural aging process. When a man loses testosterone at a younger age or at a higher percentage, this abnormal loss may lead to male hypogonadism. The highest prevalence of hypogonadal men are over 45 years of age. There are roughly 16-20 million men in the United States that have low testosterone, and fewer than 10 percent of this group are being treated for signs and symptoms associated with the disease. The following list shows the frequently associated chronic con-ditions identified with low testosterone:

Chronic Condition PrevalenceChronic Opioid Use (painkillers) 74%Obesity 52%Diabetes 50%Hypertension 42%Hyperlipidemia 40%Erectile Dysfunction 20%

Why is Testosterone Important to Men As the primary male hormone, testosterone is vital for increase in muscle mass and strength, decrease in visceral fat, increased bone density and strength, height stimulation, bone maturation, cognitive function, libido, and erectile function. Examined exclu-sively, these attributes can have a significant impact on a man’s quality of life. However, when low testosterone levels are normal-ized, a man exhibits an amazing physical change.

How is Low Testosterone Diagnosed Men with symptomatic low testosterone will often speak about how they don't feel like themselves anymore. They may experience constant fatigue, decreased libido, or an inability to achieve an erection. They have visceral fat and claim they no longer have the same amount of physical strength. In such cases, a few simple blood tests can determine whether the man has low testosterone. A total testosterone and a free testosterone blood test will reveal the results. A few additional tests should be performed for safety, including a digital rectal exam, prolactin, hematocrit, hemoglobin, PSA, LH, FSH, and a bone density test. If the man has low testos-terone and all other tests come back normal, it is time to discuss the options of Testosterone Replacement Therapy.

Testosterone Replacement Options Good news! Many treatment options have an excellent chance of improving a man's symptoms. Testosterone can be adminis-tered via injections, patches, gels, topical solutions, buccal treat-ments, and pellets. Increased energy, increased muscle mass and decreased vis-ceral fat, increased bone density, increased libido, better erections, and increases in cognitive function are just a few of the benefits normalizing testosterone levels can achieve. Understanding that these issues may or may not be the result of natural aging is an important first step. The next step involves setting a time to talk with your physician about your symptoms and having the appropri-ate tests administered to find out if low testosterone is indeed the issue. Men that are treated experience a significant increase in their quality of life and in the quality of their marriage. Oftentimes a man’s spouse will say: "Thank you for giving me my husband back!"

MidwestUrologicalGrouptracesitshistoryto1945.Witheightlocations, thepractice is theoldestandmost innovativeurologi-calmedicalpracticeinDownstateIllinoisthatservesbothfemaleandmaleconditions.Formore informationon lowtestosterone,ED or to schedule an appointment, contact 1-888-483-1637.Locatedat7309N.Knoxville,Peoria, IL61614.Visituson-line:www.midwesturologicalgroup.com.

Joseph J. Banno, MD