NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Men who use testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) to maintain their diet increase their risk of a heart attack or stroke by 21 percent, according to a recent study.
Researchers who analyzed more than 15,400 men in the UK found that TRT can lead to life-threatening heart problems in the first two years of use.
TRT is prescribed for men who suffer from abnormally low testosterone, which can have adverse effects on energy levels, mood and sex.
TRT users are at 21% more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than others, particularly stroke, transient stroke (TIA) or myocardial infarction.
The researchers suggested that the reason for this is that extra testosterone gained from outside the body, increases the possibility of clots of blood by causing the aggregation of platelets together. The increased risk appears to persist for a short period only, and decline after two years of TRT treatment.
The researchers studied specifically the cases of men who suffer from low levels of testosterone due to aging, and not for other reasons, such as liver and kidney disease or autoimmune disease.