Hormonal
Testosterone treatment in older men with low testosterone improves hemoglobin levels and corrects anemia, regardless of the cause of anemia.
If you are an older man with confirmed low testosterone and anemia, testosterone therapy can significantly improve your hemoglobin levels and correct your anemia, regardless of the cause. The treatment involves daily application of a gel, with dose adjustments to keep levels in the normal range for young men. While long-term safety requires more data, this study found no increase in cardiovascular or prostate issues over one year.
In the men with unexplained anemia, testosterone treatment, compared with placebo, substantially increased the hemoglobin concentration by >1.0 g/dL (54% vs 15% of men) and corrected the anemia (58.3% vs 22.2% of men)... In the men with anemia of known cause, testosterone also substantially increased the hemoglobin concentration by >1 g/dL (52% vs 19%) and corrected the anemia (60% vs 14.8%).
Why this rating
Based on a large, placebo-controlled, double-blind randomized trial with clear and substantial effects on hemoglobin levels.
Source
Lessons From the Testosterone Trials
Peter J. Snyder et al. · Endocrine Reviews · 2018
DOI 10.1210/er.2017-00234
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