Testosterone Deficiency in Hypertensive Men: Prevalence and Associated Factors. / Deficiência de Testosterona em Homens Hipertensos: Prevalência e Fatores Associados.

BACKGROUND: Testosterone deficiency (TD) is a prevalent condition in our midst and still very neglected. Arterial hypertension (AH) is one of the possible associated factors. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of TD in a hypertensive male population and the factors associated with its occurrence, such as age, time since hypertension diagnosis, number of antihypertensive classes, body mass index (BMI), diabetes, dyslipidemia, chronic kidney disease (CKD), positive symptoms of TD (positive ADAM questionnaire) and use of spironolactone. METHODS: Cross-sectional study with administration of the ADAM questionnaire, assessment of biochemical, clinical, and anthropometric data. Patients were stratified into DT and normal testosterone groups. Categorical variables were compared using the chi-squared test and continuous variables using the Mann-Witney test; variables with significance (p<0,05) were analyzed by multivariable linear regression. RESULTS: The prevalence of TD was 26.36%. There was an association between TD and body mass index (BMI) (p=0.0007) but there was no association with age (p=0.0520), time of hypertension diagnosis (p=0.1418), number of classes of antihypertensive drugs (p=0.732), diabetes (p=0.1112); dyslipidemia (p=0.3888); CKD (p=0.3321); use of spironolactone (p=0.3546) or positive ADAM questionnaire (p=0.2483). CONCLUSIONS: TD was highly prevalent and positively associated with BMI. Total testosterone (TT) declined by 8.44ng/dL with a one unit increase in BMI and dropped by 3.79ng/dL with a one-year increase in age.

FUNDAMENTO: A deficiência de testosterona (DT) é uma condição prevalente em nosso meio e ainda muito negligenciada. A hipertensão arterial (HA) é um de seus possíveis fatores associados. OBJETIVOS: Determinar a prevalência de DT em uma população masculina hipertensa e os fatores associados à sua ocorrência, como idade, tempo de diagnóstico de HA, número de classes de anti-hipertensivos, índice de massa corporal (IMC), diabetes, dislipidemia, doença renal crônica (DRC), sintomas positivos de DT (questionário ADAM positivo) e uso de espironolactona. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal com aplicação do questionário ADAM, e avaliação de dados bioquímicos, clínicos e antropométricos. Os pacientes foram estratificados em grupos de DT e testosterona normal. As variáveis categóricas foram comparadas pelo teste do qui-quadrado e as variáveis contínuas pelo teste de Mann-Witney; as variáveis com significância (p<0,05) foram submetidas à regressão linear multivariada. RESULTADOS: A prevalência de DT foi de 26,8%. Houve associação entre DT e IMC (p=0,0007), mas não houve com idade (p=0,0520), tempo de diagnóstico de HA (p=0,1418), número de classes de anti-hipertensivos (p=0,0732), diabetes (p=0,1112); dislipidemia (p=0,3888); presença de DRC (p=0,3321); uso de espironolactona (p=0,3546) e questionário ADAM positivo (p=0,2483). CONCLUSÕES: A prevalência de DT foi alta e houve associação positiva com IMC. A testosterona total (TT) declinou 8,44 ng/dL com o aumento de 1 kg/m2 no IMC e caiu 3,79 ng/dL com o avanço em um ano na idade.

Radiofrequency ablation in patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Study objective: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a genetic disease that can cause left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction. This study analyzed the efficacy of radiofrequency ablation (RA) in improving clinical and hemodynamic factors in patients receiving obstructive HCM refractory treatment. This evaluation was necessary because of the small number of studies on the effectiveness of this technique for obstructive HCM in the existing literature. Design: We used the PubMed, Embase, and Science Direct databases to identify randomized clinical trials and observational studies addressing the clinical and hemodynamic outcomes before and after RA in patients with HCM. Participants: We selected six articles published between 2011 and 2022, comprising 304 patients (mean age: 45 years). Interventions: We performed a bias assessment using the ROBINS I tool, and meta-analysis processing was performed using the STATA program (v.16.0). Results: The left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) gradient at rest and with stimulation decreased by 58.78 mmHg (p = 0.001) and 70.38 mmHg (total effect Z = 21.62; p < 0.0001), respectively. Additionally, the New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class decreased by 0.43 (p = 0.001), indicating symptomatic and hemodynamic improvements. Furthermore, we observed a significant reduction in septal thickness (by 4 mm; p = 0.001). Conclusions: RA improved the NYHA functional class and LVOT gradient at rest and with stimulation and reduced septal thickness. These results suggest that RA is effective in patients refractory to pharmacological therapy and unsuitable for alcohol septal ablation or myectomy. However, more studies, including randomized clinical trials, should be conducted to define the role of RA in interventional therapies.