Male Hypogonadism and Bone Fracture

To the Editor: The association between low levels of dehydroepi-androsterone sulfate and the incidence of myocardial infarction reported by Barrett-Connor and colleagues (Dec. 11, 1986, and Sept. 10, 1987, issues)¹² may be an example of the adverse medical consequences of low androgen levels in men. We recently surveyed 62 male geriatric patients (average age, 69 years) in an extended care medical facility and found that radiologic reports of fractured limbs, hips, and ribs over the preceding two years had occurred twice as frequently among men with depressed morning levels of serum testosterone, at or below 1040 nmol per liter (300.