Prevalence of Testosterone Deficit and Its Association with Hyperuricemia in Men with Normal Weight, Overweight, and Obesity

Abstract

Study Objective: To assess the prevalence and association between androgenic deficit and hyperuricemia in men with normal weight, overweight, and obesity. Study Design: single-site retrospective study. Materials and Methods. We retrospectively analysed 301 medical records of patients examined by a thyroid specialist, and collected information on their height, weight, age, uric acid (UA) levels (283 patients) and testosterone (301 patients). All information was entered into a single database. Study Results. Testosterone deficit was found in 57.5% of subjects; the testosterone level significantly dropped with an increase in the body mass index (BMI) — from 13.74 ± 0.76 (4.66) nmol/L in patients with normal BMI to 8.65 ± 0.53 (2.76) nmol/L in patients with stage 3 obesity (р < 0.01). Hyperuricemia was found in 30.7% of subjects; the UA level significantly rose with an increase in BMI — from 359 ± 11 (66) μmol/L in patients with normal BMI to 440 ± 16 (80) μmol/L in patients with stage 3 obesity (р < 0.01). A combination of testosterone deficit and hyperuricemia was recorded in 66 (23.3%) out of 283 subjects. Conclusion. There is a clear correlation between a lower testosterone level and increased UA concentration. It is difficult to name a clear pathogenic cause of this fact; most probably it is an excessive adipose tissue which affects aromatase and purine exchange in general. Keywords: testosterone deficit, hyperuricemia, obesity, uric acid.