Hormonal decline in elderly men and male menopause

Awareness and knowledge of andropause among Chinese males in Hong Kong

This is a pilot study that explored the awareness and knowledge of andropause among Chinese males in Hong Kong. The study employed a structured questionnaire and a convenience sample of 500 individuals at the age > or =40 years participated in the survey. A total of 397 (79.4%) of the respondents were identified as andropause-enlightened, 88.2% of whom believed that andropause was a natural aging process. Mass media was the main source of andropausal information. The andropause-enlightened respondents had poor knowledge with the mean knowledge score of 5.94. The majority identified irritability (72.5%), loss of energy (66.5%), and loss of libido (60.7%) as symptoms. Less than half of the andropause-enlightened respondents expressed that andropause could be treated and only 34 knew testosterone replacement therapy as a treatment. The present findings underscore the need for provision of health education to increase the knowledge of andropause among adult males.

The influence of sociodemographic factors on awareness, knowledge and attitude toward andropause among health professionals in Ile-Ife, Nigeria

A descriptive study of the awareness, knowledge and attitude of health professionals toward andropause was conducted in Ile-Ife, Nigeria with the aim of assessing the influence of sociodemographic variables of the respondents on their perspectives of the subject matter. The study employed a structured questionnaire to assess respondents' level of awareness and knowledge, and Likert-type scales to rate respondents' attitudes. A total of 187 (45%) respondents indicated previous awareness of andropause, with younger people (aged below 40 years) displaying better awareness compared with the older ones (p = 0.05), and more doctors than 'other technical health professionals' displaying better awareness when compared with health administrators (p < 0.001). However, only 93 (23%) respondents demonstrated a good knowledge of andropause, with more females compared with males recording good knowledge scores (p = 0.01). While a slightly higher proportion of older respondents (aged 40 years and above) compared with younger ones demonstrated good knowledge of andropause, age and marital status were not significantly related to knowledge of the subject matter. While only 23 (5.4%) respondents displayed a positive attitude toward andropause, and respondents' knowledge was found to positively influence their attitude toward it, none of the sociodemographic variables of age, sex or marital status was significantly related to respondents' attitudes. The study concluded that there is still a low level of awareness and knowledge of andropause among health workers in Nigeria, unlike what obtains in more developed countries of the world, and called for active education of both health professionals and the general public on the subject matter of andropause and other related male reproductive health concerns in the country.

Prevalence and management of mild hypogonadism: introduction

Although male hypogonadism can adversely affect the well-being of otherwise healthy men, physicians sometimes overlook it as a possible contributing factor to decreased libido, erectile dysfunction (ED), irritability, osteoporosis, and decreased muscle mass. However, hypogonadism is easily treated by testosterone replacement therapy, which may provide benefits such as mood improvement, increased bone density, and possibly reduced risk of type II diabetes. Articles in this supplement focus on populations that may benefit from testosterone replacement therapy (eg, men with type II diabetes, HIV, and ED). An overview of male 'andropause' is also provided. The authors discuss the surprisingly high prevalence of hypogonadism in certain patient populations and its impact on quality of life. Although testosterone has been used therapeutically for years, much remains to be learn about this hormone and its positive effects.