Hypogonadism among Jordanian men with type 2 diabetes: Prevalence and associated factor

AimsPrevalence of hypogonadism is largely unknown in the general population and population of diabetics in Arab countries including Jordan. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of hypogonadism among men with type 2 diabetes in Jordan and determine its associated factors.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included a total of 1049 consecutive men with type 2 diabetes who attended the National Center for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Genetics (NCDEG) in Amman, Jordan, in the period from August 2008 to February 2009. Data were collected from medical records and using a pre-structured questionnaire. Clinical characteristic, anthropometric measurements and laboratory measurements were obtained. Hypogonadism was defined as total testosterone <3 ng/ml.ResultsOverall, 36.4% of patients with diabetes had total testosterone level <3 ng/ml and 29% had symptoms of androgen deficiency. Of those with serum testosterone level <3 ng/ml, 80.2% had symptoms of androgen deficiency. About 16.9% of those with serum testosterone level <3 ng/ml had primary hypogonadism and 83.1% had secondary hypogonadism. Age, monthly income of less than 500 JD, obesity, and neuropathy were significantly associated with low serum total testosterone level.ConclusionsThe prevalence of hypogonadism among men with type 2 diabetes in Jordan is high. This urgently calls for implementing early and universal screening programs irrespective of symptoms of androgen deficiency to detect those who have low serum total testosterone level at any early stage and to supplement testosterone accordingly.