Testosterone Trial Study at Yale School of Medicine

(WTNH) - The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched a clinical research trial to determine if testosterone treatment of men aged 65 and older will help their walking, vitality, sexual function, memory, blood count, and cardiovascular risk. This trial, called The Testosterone Trial, or TTrial, will be conducted in 800 men in 12 cities across the United States.

As men age their blood testosterone levels fall, and also they find it more difficult to walk, have less energy, have less interest in sex, have greater difficulty remembering, and tend to be anemic, as well as greater risk of cardiovascular disease. It is possible that low blood testosterone is a cause of these problems. The purpose of The Testosterone Trial is to determine if testosterone treatment of men who are 65 years and older - and who have a low blood testosterone and one or more of these problems - will improve them.

Men who are age 65 and older and have low blood testosterone may be eligible for this trial if they also have one or more of the following: difficulty walking a quarter of a mile, less interest in sex, or less vitality than they used to have.

Men who are interested will be tested by blood tests and questionnaires to see if they qualify. Men who qualify will be assigned to use either testosterone gel or placebo gel daily for one year. During this year men will be tested by questionnaires and blood tests to determine if their walking, interest in sex, energy, memory and blood count are getting better.

Dr. Thomas Gill is a geriatric physician and researcher at the Yale School of Medicine's Program on Aging and Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center, which he currently directs. He is the principle investigator for two exciting nation-wide studies that seek to help older persons maintain their independence and enhance their well-being. Dr. Gill, the Humana Foundation Professor of Geriatric Medicine, is an international authority on the epidemiology and prevention of functional decline and disability among older persons. His research focuses on understanding the causes of functional decline and disability and on developing strategies to prevent the onset and progression of disability among at-risk older persons.