| A research team from
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has found that testosterone administration
significantly increases lean body mass and improves the quality of life in men with AIDS
wasting syndrome. The AIDS wasting syndrome is a devastating complication of late-stage
HIV infection, characterized by an extreme loss of lean muscle mass, leading to
significant fatigue and frailty. The report appears in the July 1, 1998 issue of Annals of
Internal Medicine. "This is an important new therapy for patients with AIDS
wasting syndrome. Physicians now will have a important tool to help build critically
needed muscle mass and improve overall well being in men with AIDS wasting syndrome,"
said Steven Grinspoon, MD, of the MGH Neuroendocrine Unit, who led the study.
Fifty-one HIV-positive men aged 34 to 50 participated in the study; they
were selected because they had significant weight loss and low testosterone levels.
Participants were randomly assigned to receive injections of either testosterone or a
placebo every three weeks for six months. Injections were designed to produce normal
testosterone levels in those receiving the hormone.
"Compared with the placebo group, those who received testosterone had
significant term benefit," he explains. "We believe all male patients
with AIDS wasting syndrome should be screened for hormone deficiency and given
testosterone if their levels are low, unless there is a medical reason not to do so."
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