Testosterone, a steroidal hormone responsible for maintaining lean muscle mass and your sex drive, plays a role in osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis -- a degenerative joint disorder, follows excessive strain or long-term overuse of a joint. If your testosterone levels are low, regardless of gender, bringing them back up to standard may be of some help if you suffer from osteoarthritis. Consult a physician if you suspect either condition.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis commonly does not occur until middle age, although this is not always the case. When the cartilage, the connective tissue within your joints, wears away, your bones begin to rub together. Bone spurs can form, resulting in even more pain. Other factors that contribute to osteoarthritis include over-work, sports, fractures, family traits and long-term obesity, which puts considerable strain on your joints. Anything that blocks the blood supply to a joint may increase your risk of osteoarthritis.
Testosterone
Testosterone is produced by the testes in men and the ovaries and adrenal glands in women. Men produce approximately 10 times the testosterone that women do, although this declines in both genders, with a marked decrease after age 40. High levels of testosterone can lead to an increase in body hair and a deepening of a woman's voice. Low testosterone levels can lead to pituitary disorder and testicular failure. In the young, testosterone levels may be responsible for early or late puberty.
Men
Testosterone levels in men decrease more sharply than in women, as men start out with higher baseline levels. This decrease can result in numerous issues, including increased difficulty in maintaining lean muscle mass. When your muscles improperly support a joint, the incidence of injury can increase. Researchers were able to confirm lower testosterone levels than average in men suffering from osteoarthritis as early as 1988. The results of this study were published in "Arthritis and Rheumatism."
Women
Women experience both a decrease in testosterone levels and a decrease in bone mineral density with age, which increases the risk of osteoarthritis. A 1996 study published in the "American Journal of Epidemiology" showed that women with lower testosterone levels experienced a greater occurrence of osteoarthritis in the hands. Osteoarthritis is both specific, such as that found in the hands, and general, or a slow eroding of the strength of your bones at multiple joints. A 1991 study published in "Clinical Rheumatology" showed that women with higher circulating levels of testosterone had a lower incidence of general osteoarthritis.
References
- Pubmed Health: Osteoarthritis
- Pubmed Health: Testosterone
- "Arthritis and Rheumatism"; Sex Hormone Status of Male Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: Evidence of Low Serum Concentrations of Testosterone at Baseline and After Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Stimulation; M. Cutolo, et al.; October 1988
- "American Journal of Epidemiology"; Association of Bone Mineral Density and Sex Hormone Levels with Osteoarthritis of the Hand and Knee in Premenopausal Women; M.F. Sowers, et al.; January 1996
- "Clinical Rheumatology"; Endogenous Sex Steroid Levels in Women with Generalised Osteoarthritis; T.D. Spector, et al.; September 1991
