Androgens and Skeletal Homeostasis in Men

摘要

The problem of osteoporosis in men has only recently been recognized as an important public health issue. Indeed, most studies on the pathogenesis and treatment of osteoporosis have focused on osteoporotic fractures in women. However, the age-related increase in osteoporotic fractures seen in women is evident in men as well. Apart from differences in peak bone mass, variation in endogenous sex steroid levels has been implicated as a major factor underlying individual differences in age-related bone loss in women and men (1). The present article reviews the mechanisms by which lack of androgen exposure may predispose to osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures in men and discusses the potential for androgen replacement therapy in attenuating or reversing bone loss in aging men.