Déficit androgénico y síndrome metabólico

The metabolic syndrome is a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors including visceral obesity, hipertriglyceridemia, low levels of cHDL, arterial hypertension, hyperglycaemia and, in some guidelines, insulin resistance. Its relevance is related both to the high prevalence, increasing with ageing, as well as with its consequences involving an increased risk in the incidence of type- 2 diabetes mellitus and arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Previously it was well known that low testosterone serum level in the male was inversely associated with various components of the metabolic syndrome. Now, recent longitudinal studies have convincingly demonstrated that testosterone deficiency predict the development of the metabolic syndrome as well as their metabolic and cardiovascular consequences. In turn, other longitudinal studies have also demonstrated that the metabolic syndrome induces a progressive decrease in testosterone serum levels. Thus, the testosterone deficiency in the male is both a cause and a consequence of the metabolic syndrome.