Background: The role of testosterone in the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic changes has not been fully explained. The aim of our work was to determine whether levels of serum free testosterone differ between men with and without coronary artery disease.
Material/methods: We examined the serum concentration of free testosterone by the radioimmunoassay method in two groups of subjects, carefully matched for body mass index and age: 105 men with angiographically diagnosed coronary artery disease, and 23 control subjects without any changes in coronary arteries. We also evaluated the concentrations of total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides by enzymatic methods.
Results: Men with coronary artery disease had significantly lower levels of free testosterone than did controls. The concentration of free testosterone diminished with age, and a negative correlation was found between free testosterone and body mass index. We did not discover any connection between the concentration of free testosterone and lipids.
Conclusions: A low level of free testosterone may be related to the development of coronary artery disease.