Health & Medicine
Heart Failure Accelerates Aging, Brings On Early Andropause
Benita Matilda
First Posted: May 28, 2013 10:37 AM EDT
According to a new study presented at the Heart Failure Congress at Lisbon, heart failure accelerates the aging process and brings on early andropausal syndrome, also known as male menopause. It is four times more common in men with heart failure.
The research states that as men get older, they are more likely to suffer from andropausal syndrome (AS). It is also known as late onset hypogonadism or androgen deficiency in the aging male (ADAM). The levels of anabolic hormone including testosterone are low in men with AS. It is believed that the clinical symptoms are a result of these hormone deficiencies.
According to Aging Male Symptom Rating Scale (AMS Scale), the symptoms of AS can be classified into three different categories, namely sexual, psychological and somato-vegetative.
Sexual symptoms include problems with libido, erectile dysfunction and reduction in beard growth. Psychological symptoms include feeling nervous, depressed, anxious, discouraged and irritable. Complaints of joint and muscle pain, sweating, need for more sleep, weakness, are all symptoms of somato-vegetative.
Men with systolic heart failure are prone to have deficiencies of anabolic hormone. This leads to depression, lower exercise capacity and poor prognosis.
"AS leads to poor quality of life. We wanted to discover whether heart failure increases AS and whether additional androgen therapies could improve quality of life in heart failure patients," said professor Ewa A. Jankowska from Wroclaw, Poland.
In this study, researchers examined the occurrence of AS and its severity in 232 men with systolic heart failure aged 40-80 years. They were compared to 362 healthy peers of the same age. With the help of the AMS scale, they assessed the magnitude of AS and it was diagnosed if the total score was 50 points or more.
It was noticed that one-third of men with heart failure were affected with AS, irrespective of their age group. The occurrence of AS was four times more in men between 40-59 years with heart failure; this also included increase in the severity of sexual and somato-vegetative andropausal symptoms. Men aged 60-80 years with and without heart failure had a similar prevalence of AS and severity of andropausal symptoms.
The researchers suggest that the anabolic hormone deficiencies in heart failure occur due to heart failure treatments that affect the metabolism of hormones that impair the functioning of the endocrine gland.
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First Posted: May 28, 2013 10:37 AM EDT
According to a new study presented at the Heart Failure Congress at Lisbon, heart failure accelerates the aging process and brings on early andropausal syndrome, also known as male menopause. It is four times more common in men with heart failure.
The research states that as men get older, they are more likely to suffer from andropausal syndrome (AS). It is also known as late onset hypogonadism or androgen deficiency in the aging male (ADAM). The levels of anabolic hormone including testosterone are low in men with AS. It is believed that the clinical symptoms are a result of these hormone deficiencies.
According to Aging Male Symptom Rating Scale (AMS Scale), the symptoms of AS can be classified into three different categories, namely sexual, psychological and somato-vegetative.
Sexual symptoms include problems with libido, erectile dysfunction and reduction in beard growth. Psychological symptoms include feeling nervous, depressed, anxious, discouraged and irritable. Complaints of joint and muscle pain, sweating, need for more sleep, weakness, are all symptoms of somato-vegetative.
Men with systolic heart failure are prone to have deficiencies of anabolic hormone. This leads to depression, lower exercise capacity and poor prognosis.
"AS leads to poor quality of life. We wanted to discover whether heart failure increases AS and whether additional androgen therapies could improve quality of life in heart failure patients," said professor Ewa A. Jankowska from Wroclaw, Poland.
In this study, researchers examined the occurrence of AS and its severity in 232 men with systolic heart failure aged 40-80 years. They were compared to 362 healthy peers of the same age. With the help of the AMS scale, they assessed the magnitude of AS and it was diagnosed if the total score was 50 points or more.
It was noticed that one-third of men with heart failure were affected with AS, irrespective of their age group. The occurrence of AS was four times more in men between 40-59 years with heart failure; this also included increase in the severity of sexual and somato-vegetative andropausal symptoms. Men aged 60-80 years with and without heart failure had a similar prevalence of AS and severity of andropausal symptoms.
The researchers suggest that the anabolic hormone deficiencies in heart failure occur due to heart failure treatments that affect the metabolism of hormones that impair the functioning of the endocrine gland.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone