Prevalence of secondary erythrocytosis in men receiving testosterone therapy

Abstract

Introduction: Increased hematocrit (HCT) is a common adverse effect in men on testosterone therapy (TTh). We aimed to uncover differences in HCT changes among men receiving different forms of TTh, namely intranasal gels, intramuscular injections, and subcutaneous pellets. Methods: We conducted a single-center, retrospective, matched-cohort study of patients treated for testosterone deficiency (TD) to investigate the effect of three TTh regimens on HCT. We included men who received intranasal testosterone (NT), intramuscular testosterone (TC), or subcutaneous testosterone pellet (TP) regimens between January 2011 and December 2020. We matched treatment cohorts 1:1:1 for age, body mass index (BMI), and history of obstructive sleep apnea. Those taking TTh for less than 16 weeks were excluded. Comparison between groups was performed with U-Mann Whitney test, Student t-test, ANOVA, or Kruskal Wallis test as appropriate. Results: Seventy-eight matched-cohort individuals with testosterone deficiency (TD) received either NT, TC, or TP. The most common TD symptoms prior to initiation of TTh were erectile dysfunction (38%), low libido (22%), and lack of energy (17%). Baseline serum testosterone and HCT were higher in NT (p<0.05) recipients. As expected, all men receiving TTh were found to have increased serum testosterone levels at followup (p<0.001). Relative to their respective baselines, men receiving TC experienced the greatest increase in serum testosterone (240.8 ng/dL to 585.5 ng/dL), followed by NT (230.3 ng/dL to 493.5 ng/dL) and TP (210.8 ng/dL to 360.5 ng/dL) (all p<0.001). TC and TP were associated with significant increases in HCT (4.4% and 1.7%), while NT was associated with a decrease in HCT (-0.8%) at 16-week followup. Conclusions: When controlled for age, BMI, and OSA, men receiving NT experienced decreased HCT compared to TC or TP at 16-week followup. Intranasal testosterone, while able to increase serum testosterone levels to reference range, does not appear to have a significant impact on HCT compared to the longer-acting forms of TTh.