Prevalence and Risk Factors for Hypogonadism in Male Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) can develop many complications, including hypogonadism, the prevalence of which is largely unknown. Male hypogonadism is an endocrine disease characterized by low-serum testosterone levels and is closely related to the development of diabetes. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 male patients with type 2 (DM) for 2 years. Plasma glucose, lipid profile, serum insulin, and sex hormone levels were measured. Weight and height were measured, and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance was measured. The percentage was used to document the prevalence of hypogonadism in type 2 diabetics. The correlations between the patients' metabolic index and sex hormone levels were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results: The prevalence of hypogonadism in male type 2 diabetics was 26%. Primary hypogonadism was present in 48.1% and secondary hypogonadism was present in 51.9% of male type 2 diabetics. The percentage of the study participants with hypogonadism increased with an increase in BMI. Total testosterone showed a negative correlation with BMI, which was statistically significant (r = −0.246 and P < 005). Fasting blood sugar and BMI correlated negatively with sex hormone-binding globulin and were statistically significant (r = −0.196 and P < 0.01), (r = −0.175 and P < 0.05). Conclusions: The prevalence of hypogonadism calls for implementing early, universal screening programs, irrespective of the symptoms of androgen deficiency, to detect those who have low-serum total testosterone levels at an early stage and supplement testosterone accordingly.