Low Testosterone Levels may Signal Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis

It is quite natural for the testosterone levels in men to decline with age. However, at times, low testosterone levels can trigger an array of health problems that range from depression to hot flashes, to something as serious as heart diseases.

A latest study highlights another health issue linked with low testosterone levels. The study, conducted by Swedish researchers, states that low testosterone levels may signal the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in men.

Rheumatoid arthritis affects approximately 1.3 million Americans and is a chronic disease that causes inflammation of the joints and its surrounding tissues.

In order to prove the hypothesis, researchers collected data from the Swedish Malmo Preventive Medicine Program (MPMP) that began in 1974. The study observed 33,000 people who were born from 1921-1949. The participants completed a battery of tests and filled questionnaires that tracked their health and lifestyle. After an overnight fast, they were asked to provide researchers with their blood samples.

The researchers then identified study participants who had developed RA by the end of 2004. They analyzed the stored blood samples of 104 men who had developed the disease and 174 men of the same age who were healthy and showed no signs of the disease.

The duration between donating blood samples and the diagnosis was just under 13 years. Researchers also checked for the rheumatoid factor, which is an antibody that indicates the severity of the disease. They diagnosed rheumatoid factor in 83 men, and nearly 73 percent of the men were tested positive for it.

The researchers noticed that men with lower levels of testosterone in their blood samples were prone to developing the disease.

"The main conclusion of the study is that hormone factors influence the risk of RA," Mitra Pikwer of the Department of Rheumatology at the Skane University Hospital in Malmo, Sweden, was quoted as saying in Bloomberg Businessweek.

The study was published in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Disease.