Testosterone Therapy May Be

Linked to Blood Clots

Risk peaks in the first 6 months of hormone treatment, but overall odds are
low, study finds
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By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 30, 2016 (HealthDay News) --
Testosterone treatment can increase a man's risk of
potentially fatal blood clots, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that men taking the male hormone
seem to have a 63 percent increased risk of a blood clot
forming in a vein, a condition known as venous
thromboembolism (VTE).
These clots can cause a heart attack, stroke, organ
damage or even death, according to the American Heart
Association.
"Risk peaks rapidly in the first six months of treatment
and lasts for about nine months, and fades gradually
thereafter," said lead researcher Dr. Carlos Martinez of the
Institute for Epidemiology, Statistics and Informatics in
Frankfurt, Germany.
Millions of American men currently use testosterone pills,
gels or injections, hoping that the male hormone will
boost their sex drive, stamina and strength.
It's been known for a while that the estrogen in birth
control pills increases a woman's risk of blood clots, and
earlier studies have raised similar concerns for
testosterone therapy, said Dr. Mark Creager. He's director
of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Heart and Vascular Center in
Lebanon, N.H., and a past president of the American
Heart Association.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in June 2014
required that all approved testosterone products carry a
warning about VTE risk, researchers said in background
notes.
Since then, the FDA has expanded its testosterone
warning to include increased risk of heart attacks,
personality changes and infertility.
For this study, Martinez and his colleagues reviewed data
from about 19,000 British patients with confirmed VTE.
These men were compared with over 909,000 age-
matched patients in a "control" group.
Within the first six months of testosterone treatment, a
man's risk of blood clots increased 63 percent compared
to those not taking the hormone, the researchers found.
The study didn't establish a direct cause-and-effect
relationship, however.
Nor does it mean there's a significant additional risk of
VTE for the average guy, since the risk is low to begin
with, Martinez and Creager said. The overall risk increase
translates to about one additional case of blood clots for
every 1,000 men a year.