1 in 4 US Army men may screen low for testosterone

Low screening results do not necessarily indicate hypogonadism, raising questions about routine testing.

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In a cross-sectional analysis of 479 active-duty US Army men, 25.7% had morning testosterone concentrations below 300 ng/dL and 14.7% were below 264 ng/dL.
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The estimates corresponded to approximately 100,691 men below 300 ng/dL and 57,788 below 264 ng/dL across the active-duty Army.
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Low testosterone concentrations were more common among men aged 30 years or older, and age and BMI were associated with higher odds of concentrations below either threshold.
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Among nonobese men aged 19 to 39 years, 9.7% had testosterone concentrations below 264 ng/dL, corresponding to an estimated 23,115 men Army-wide.
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The authors cautioned that screening estimates do not represent hypogonadism prevalence; the study relied on a single measurement and had a cross-sectional design.

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