Relationship between Serum Levels of Testosterone and the Severity of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

BACKGROUND This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the relationship between the levels of serum testosterone and the severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). MATERIALS AND METHODS Using GOLD criteria, 140 male patients with COPD were categorized into mild, moderate, severe and very severe COPD groups of 35 each. Then, serum levels of testosterone, prolactin and LH of patients were compared and the data were analyzed using SPSS version 18 software. RESULTS Average age of patients was 67.4±10.1 years (range 41 to 90 years). The prevalence of the secondary hypogonadism was 58.6%. It was shown that the level of serum testosterone was directly correlated with the severity of COPD (P= 0.04). CONCLUSION This study found that the prevalence of the secondary hypogonadism in COPD patients was high. The forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) was correlated with the level of serum testosterone. Further investigations are required to better evaluate the pathology and treatment of secondary hypogonadism in COPD patients.