Don’t use testosterone measures to assess bone fragility in men who have factures. New research finding

Testosterone fluctuations associated with acute fractures could interfere with current methods of checking for bone weaknesses in men, according to research published in Osteoporosis International.
A total of 240 men with trauma fractures were compared to 89 men of the same age without fractures.
Men with fractures tended to have lower testosterone readings than the control group, especially those being treated as inpatients. And after six months, 43% of the men originally categorised as having low testosterone were found to have acceptable levels of the hormone, suggesting the effect may be temporary.
Measuring testosterone is part of the current way of assessing bone fragility in men. This study suggests that fracture may lead to reduced testosterone which is only temporary – so could influence assessments of bone fragility.
“Low testosterone levels in men presenting with an acute fracture may, at least in part, be due to an acute fracture-associated stress response,” the experts conclude. “To avoid over diagnosis, evaluation for testosterone deficiency should be deferred until recovery from the acute event.”