Testosterone and Physical Function in HIV+ Men

Summary

Men infected with the HIV virus (the virus that causes AIDS) often lose weight even though they may try to eat more food to gain weight. The reasons for this weight loss are not clear. Many men with HIV have low levels of testosterone in their blood. Testosterone is a hormone that is naturally produced in the bodies of both men and women and has important effects on building muscle and bone mass. The purpose of this study is to find out if providing additional testosterone to HIV infected men who have low testosterone can help them gain weight, increase their muscle mass, and feel better. The study will also help see if testosterone improves the efficiency with which your body produces and uses energy including fat. The dose of testosterone being used in this study will raise testosterone levels in the blood to higher than normal levels (2-3 times normal level).

Timeline

Start

2003-05

Primary completion

2006-06

Completion

2006-06

Outcome

Missed primary endpoint

paper In HIV-infected men with weight loss, a supraphysiological dose of testosterone significantly increased FFM but did not improve self-reported or performance-based measures of physical function. PMID 18430965 ↗

Publications

• Results Knapp PE, Storer TW, Herbst KL, Singh AB, Dzekov C, Dzekov J, LaValley M, Zhang A, Ulloor J, Bhasin S. Effects of a supraphysiological dose of testosterone on physical function, muscle performance, mood, and fatigue in men with HIV-associated weight loss. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2008 Jun;294(6):E1135-43. doi: 10.1152/ajpendo.90213.2008. Epub 2008 Apr 22.

Drugs

Indications