Abstract
In men, testosterone plays a key role in health. In addition, some research points out the relationship between low testosterone levels and arteriosclerosis. On the other hand, Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index (CAVI) is known to reflect systemic arteriosclerosis independent of blood pressure. Our goal is to clarify the clinical significance of blood testosterone concentration as a cardiovascular risk factor using CAVI. The 252 middle or high aged male subjects without histories of cardiovascular events were enrolled and we examined the relationship of blood free testosterone concentration (F-T) and cardiovascular risk factors including CAVI. There were significant negative correlations between F-T and CAVI. Multiple regression analysis indicated that F-T was selected as the independent variable for CAVI as a subordinate factor. On the other hand, multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that subjects with low F-T (≤7.0 ng/ml) showed 3.0 times higher odds ratio for high value of CAVI (≥9.0) than those with high F-T (≥10.0 ng/ml). Data indicates the close association between F-T and CAVI, suggesting that low blood testosterone concentration is an important factor in the progression of systemic arteriosclerosis.
