Journal Club Jim Hoehns, Pharm.D. What Adverse Effects Are
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Transcript Journal Club Jim Hoehns, Pharm.D. What Adverse Effects Are
CV: DVT, edema, HTN, vasodilation
CNS: aggression, depression, insomnia, anxiety, sleep
apnea, memory loss, mood swings
Endo: breast pain, gynecomastia, hyperlipidemia,
libido change
GI: nausea, weight gain, increased appetite
GU: priapism, impotence, PSA increased, BPH,
impaired urination, testicular atrophy
Hepatic: cholestatic jaundice
Heme: anemia, bleeding, polycythemia, suppression
of clotting factors, Hgb/Hct increased
Other: creatinine increased
Men have gradual declines in average
testosterone as they age
Testosterone therapy prescribed for 2.9% of
men aged ≥40 years
No equivalent of Women’s Health Initiative for
men
Inadequate information of effect of testosterone
replacement on clinical outcomes
One recent study of T replacement in older frail
men was stopped prematurely due to CV events
N Engl J Med 2010;363:109-22.
JAMA 2013;310:1829-36.
Retrospective national cohort (VA system)
76 VA cath labs
Patients
Male patients with angiography (2005-2011), had
subsequent [testosterone] checked, and had value
<300 ng/mL
Study comparison: Those that started testosterone
Rx vs. those who did not
CAD: ≥20% stenosis in epicardial vessel
Exclusion criteria
Started testosterone before angiography
Missing data on coronary anatomy
Prescribed testosterone after an MI
Hct >50%
PSA of 4.0 ng/mL or higher
Follow-up
Mean: 27.5 months
Covariates
Weighted adjustment
▪ Age, race, prior MI, CHF, diabetes, renal failure, MDD, PTSD,
hyperlipidemia, PAD, COPD, OSA, HTN, cerebrovascular disease,
overweight, dialysis, ever smoker, alcohol, anemia, drug abuse,
electrolyte abnormalities, AIDS, hypothyroidism, liver disease,
lymphoma, cancer, neurological disorder, PUD, RA, and procedures:
prior CABG, revascularization, transplant, cardiac MRI,
echocardiogram, TEE
Primary exposure variable
Initiated Rx for testosterone gel, injection, or patch
▪ ?once initiated, assumed to have continued until event or end
of follow-up
Primary endpoint
Time to all-cause mortality or hospitalization for
MI or stroke
▪ Obtained from VA inpatient files (ICD-9)
▪ Last day of follow-up: 1/23/12
Statistics
Treated testosterone as a time varying covariate
Tested for interaction between CAD status and
testosterone therapy
Statistics (cont.):
Separated testosterone exposure
▪ Injections, patch, or gel
Sensitivity analyses
▪ Evaluated if results due to differential treatment of CV
risk factors
▪ LDL, BP, statin use, beta-blocker use
▪ Included subsequent PCI/CABG as additional outcome
▪ Assessed dose of T prescribed and duration of treatment
▪ Gel (1.1%), injections (35.7%), and patches (63.3%)
Group
Died
MI
Stroke
No testosterone
(N=7,486)
9.1%
5.6%
6.5%
Testosterone
(N=1,223)
5.4%
1.8%
2.6%
Group
1 Year†
2 Years
3 Years
No
testosterone
10.1%
15.4%
19.9%
Testosterone
11.3%*
18.5%
25.7%
Abolute Risk
Difference
1.3% (-7.1% to 3.1% (-4.9% to 5.8% (-1.4% to
9.7%)
11.0%)
13.1%)
† years after coronary angiography
* Kaplan-Meier estimated cumulative percentages
Same elevated risk observed in patients in those
with and without CAD
Test for interaction, P=0.41
No difference in risk among types of T
replacement
T values
60% of those prescribed T had another [T] checked
Among them, T increased from mean of 176 ng/dL to
332 ng/dL
Potential explanations for results
T may increase platelet aggregation
T may increase vascular inflammation
T may worsen breathing in patients with OSA
First observational study to suggest that
testosterone is associated with adverse
cardiovascular outcomes
Unmeasured confounders may exist
Outcomes not validated by chart review
Used ICD-9 codes
Small number of patients with extended
follow-up time
Uncertain generalizability
Sizable burden of comorbidities
Poor characterization of testosterone usage
from pharmacy claims
Uncertain how to rectify the statistics
Weighting of comorbidities
Complex methodology
I am uncertain of validity of this method to adjust for
unmeasured confounders
Unclear what individual components of composite
outcome were driving observed differences in
their model
Use of testosterone was associated with increased
risk of mortality, MI, or ischemic stroke
Association was not modified by presence or
absence of CAD