Impact of TRT on Thrombosis, Heart Disease and Apnea

A cohort of 3,422 male United States military service members, retirees and their dependents, aged 40-64 was identified, who were prescribed TRT between 2006-2010 for low testosterone. Men in this cohort were matched on a 1:1 basis by age and comorbidities to men without a prescription for TRT. Event-free survival and rates of thromboembolism, cardiovascular events and OSA were compared between men using TRT and controls with a median follow-up of 17 months.

There was no difference in event free survival from thromboembolism (p=0.239). Relative to controls, patients using TRT had improved cardiovascular event free survival (p=0.004), mainly due to decreased coronary artery disease (p=0.0082). Risk of OSA [obstructive sleep apnea] was worse in TRT users (2-year risk 16.5% in TRT vs. 12.7% in controls
This study adds to growing evidence that cardiovascular risk from TRT may be less than once feared. The increased risk of sleep apnea in men using TRT is noteworthy

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