Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38552276›Full record

Trial reportThe journal of nutrition, health & aging2024

Effects of testosterone and vitamin D on fall risk in pre-frail hypogonadal men: a factorial design RCT.

Heike A Bischoff-Ferrari, Melanie Kistler-Fischbacher, Stephanie Gaengler, Thomas Münzer, Bess Dawson-Hughes, Wei Lang, Robert Theiler, Andreas Egli, E John Orav, Gregor Freystaetter

Open access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in The journal of nutrition, health & aging, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.1field-weighted citation impact, top 22% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 6 institutions in 3 countries.

Heike A Bischoff-FerrariCentre on Aging and Mobility, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Aging Medicine and Aging Research, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; IHU HealthAge, University Hospital Toulouse and University III Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France. Electronic address: heikea.bischoff-ferrari@uzh.ch.
Melanie Kistler-FischbacherCentre on Aging and Mobility, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Aging Medicine and Aging Research, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. Electronic address: Melanie.Kistler-Fischbacher@uzh.ch.
Stephanie GaenglerCentre on Aging and Mobility, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Aging Medicine and Aging Research, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. Electronic address: Stephanie.Gaengler@uzh.ch.
Thomas MünzerGeriatrische Klinik St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland. Electronic address: thomas.muenzer@geriatrie-sg.ch.
Bess Dawson-HughesJean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts. Electronic address: bess.dawson-hughes@tufts.edu.
Wei LangCentre on Aging and Mobility, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Aging Medicine and Aging Research, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. Electronic address: lang.wei10@gmail.com.
Robert TheilerCentre on Aging and Mobility, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Aging Medicine and Aging Research, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. Electronic address: robert.theiler@bluewin.ch.
Andreas EgliCentre on Aging and Mobility, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Aging Medicine and Aging Research, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. Electronic address: andreas.eglilinder@uzh.ch.
E John OravDepartment of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Electronic address: eorav@bwh.harvard.edu.
Gregor FreystaetterCentre on Aging and Mobility, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Aging Medicine and Aging Research, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. Electronic address: Gregor.Freystaetter2@stadtspital.ch.
Union Bank of Switzerland · CHHarvard University · USTufts University · USUniversité Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier · FRUniversity of St.Gallen · CHUniversity of Zurich · CH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo test whether transdermal testosterone at a dose of 75 mg per day and/or monthly 24'000 IU Vitamin D reduces the fall risk in pre-frail hypogonadal men aged 65 and older.

design2 × 2 factorial design randomized controlled trial, follow up of 12 months.

methodsHypogonadism was defined as total testosterone <11.3 nmol/L and pre-frailty as ≥1 Fried- frailty criteria and/or being at risk for falling at the time of screening. The primary outcomes were number of fallers and the rate of falls, assessed prospectively. Secondary outcomes were appendicular lean mass (ALM), sit-to-stand, gait speed, and the short physical performance test battery. Analyses were adjusted for age, BMI, fall history and the respective baseline measurement.

resultsWe aimed to recruit 168 men and stopped at 91 due to unexpected low recruitment rate (1266 men were pre-screened). Mean age was 72.2 years, serum total testosterone was 10.8 ± 3.0 nmol/l, and 20.9% had 25(OH)D levels below 20 ng/mL. Over 12 months, 37 participants had 72 falls. Neither the odds of falling nor the rate of falls were reduced by testosterone or by vitamin D. Testosterone improved ALM compared to no testosterone (0.21 kg/m

conclusionTransdermal testosterone did not reduce fall risk but improved ALM and gait speed in pre-frail older men. Monthly vitamin D supplementation had no benefit.

Indexed as

Accidental FallsHypogonadismTestosteroneVitamin DAgedAged, 80 and overFrail ElderlyFrailtyHumansMaleTestosteroneVitamin DFallsFrailtyPreventionTestosteroneVitamin D

Identifiers

PMID38552276
PMCPMC12877218
OpenAlexW4393252882

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.