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Clinical Summary

Elevated Testosterone Levels Linked to Lower Risk of Asthma in British Adults

Takeaway

  • Elevated serum levels of free testosterone were significantly associated with a lower risk of asthma and current wheeze in middle-aged and older British men and women.
  • In addition, elevated levels were associated with a decreased risk of at least one asthma-related hospitalisation in women and with higher forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) in men.

Why this matters

  • Findings suggest that free testosterone contributes to the pathogenesis of asthma in adults.

Study design

  • A large population-based study of 256,419 British adults (age, 40-69 years; 123,921 women and 132,498 men) from the UK Biobank.
  • Serum-free testosterone and physician-diagnosed asthma, wheeze, asthma hospitalisations and lung function were evaluated.
  • Funding: None disclosed.

Key results

  • Free testosterone levels above the first or lowest quartile (Q1) were significantly associated with a lower risk of asthma in both:
    • women (adjusted OR [aOR] for Q4 vs Q1, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.64-0.71); and
    • men (aOR for Q4 vs Q1, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.82-0.91).
  • Free testosterone levels in Q4 vs Q1 were significantly associated with a lower risk of:
    • current wheeze in women (aOR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.71-0.87) and men with asthma (aOR , 0.86; 95% CI, 0.77-0.95); and
    • ≥1 asthma hospitalisation in women with asthma (aOR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.56-0.95).
  • In men with asthma, free testosterone was positively associated with FEV1 (β, 26.0; 95% CI, 22.8-29.2) and FVC (β, 36.0; 95% CI, 32.3-39.8; P<.05 for both).
  • Free testosterone was negatively and weakly linked with FVC in women with asthma (β, −4.3; 95% CI, −7.1 to −1.5; P<.05).

Limitations

  • Temporal associations could not be examined in this cross-sectional design.
  • Selection bias.
 

Han YY, Yan Q, Yang G, Chen W, Forno E, Celedon JC. Serum free testosterone and asthma, asthma hospitalisations and lung function in British adults. Thorax. 2020 Aug 31 [Epub ahead of print]. doi: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2020-214875. PMID: 32868294View abstract

This clinical summary originally appeared on Univadis, part of the Medscape Professional Network.

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