Hypogonadism as a Reversible Cause of Torsades de Pointes in Men

    July 2018 in “ Circulation ”
    Joe‐Elie Salem, Xavier Waintraub, Carine Courtillot, Christian M. Shaffer, Estelle Gandjbakhch, Carole Maupain, Javid Moslehi, Fabio Badilini, Julien Haroche, Paul Gougis, Véronique Fressart, Andrew M. Glazer, Françoise Hidden‐Lucet, Philippe Touraine, Bénédicte Lebrun‐Vignes, Dan M. Roden, Anne Bachelot, Christian Funck‐Brentano
    TLDR Low testosterone can cause a heart rhythm problem in men, but fixing it can prevent the issue.
    The study identified hypogonadism as a reversible cause of Torsades de Pointes (TdP) in men. Seven men with TdP had hypogonadism, and correcting their low testosterone levels led to shortened QT intervals and no recurrence of TdP. Analysis of a pharmacovigilance database and an electronic health record cohort supported the association between hypogonadism and long QT syndrome/TdP. The findings suggested that testosterone replacement therapy could treat or prevent TdP in men with hypogonadism, and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) could increase the risk of TdP. The study recommended investigating hypogonadism in men with TdP and considering it a risk factor.
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