Physicians achieve breakthrough in the treatment of COPD

Testosterone replacement therapy slows development of COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects many people around the world. Physicians have been looking for ways to treat COPD better. Researchers have now discovered that so-called testosterone replacement therapy slows the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The University of Texas researchers found in their current research that testosterone replacement therapy slows the progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The physicians published the results of their study in the English-language journal "Chronic Respiratory Disease".

COPD is a serious disease that affects many elderly people worldwide and causes lung damage. (Picture: pathdoc / fotolia.com)

What is COPD?

The chronic obstructive pulmonary disease leads to a permanent damage to the lungs in those affected. In addition, the disease also affects the bronchi and leads to a narrowing of the airways. Sufferers get only heavy air after the disease has progressed. This means that even low stresses in everyday life, such as climbing stairs or short distances on foot, lead to respiratory distress. The disease develops slowly and is often classified by smokers as smoker's cough or asthma. Usually it is only very late recognized that a serious illness exists. By treating COPD, medical professionals are trying to slow the progression of the disease.

COPD in the future the world's third leading cause of premature death

The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that COPD will be the third leading cause of premature death worldwide by 2030. Often men with COPD have a low testosterone level. These men with COPD have shortness of breath and often take steroids based drugs. The use of such drugs over a long period of time can lead to affected men develop a low testosterone levels, explain the physicians.

How does the treatment affect hospital stays??

Previous studies have shown that testosterone replacement therapy in men with COPD can have a beneficial effect on lung function, said study author Jacques Baillargeon of the University of Texas Medical School in Galveston. The aim of the current study was to find out whether testosterone replacement therapy reduces the risk of hospitalization due to respiratory distress in middle-aged and older men with COPD.

What were the results of the study?

The physicians found in their study that the intake of testosterone compared to non-consumers, a greater reduction in hospitalization due to respiratory problems. In particular, in middle-aged patients there was a 4.2 percent reduction in hospitalizations for respiratory distress compared to men who did not take testosterone. Elsewhere, there has even been a drop of 9.1 percent in hospitalization for respiratory disease, says Baillargeon. The results of the investigation suggest that testosterone replacement therapy may slow the progression of the disease in men with COPD, the expert adds. (As)