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Posted on Dec 28, 2002, 1 a.m.
By Bill Freeman
Preliminary study results suggest that Parkinson's disease sufferers with low testosterone levels could benefit from a supplementary dose of the hormone. Dr Michael S Okun of the University of Florida in Gainesville found that patients given testosterone lost an average of two non-movement related symptoms, for example fatigue, energy problems, sexual dysfunction, and depression, which are often seen in men with low testosterone levels and Parkinson's disease.
Preliminary study results suggest that Parkinson's disease sufferers with low testosterone levels could benefit from a supplementary dose of the hormone. Dr Michael S Okun of the University of Florida in Gainesville found that patients given testosterone lost an average of two non-movement related symptoms, for example fatigue, energy problems, sexual dysfunction, and depression, which are often seen in men with low testosterone levels and Parkinson's disease. At the start of the study the patients had an average of eight testosterone deficiency-linked symptoms, however after just one month of treatment with supplementary testosterone the average number of symptoms dropped to six. However, Okun stresses that more research needs to be done, as his study did not compare patients treated with the hormone to a "control" group of patients treated with an inactive placebo.
