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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
Background Statins are one of the most prescribed classes of drugs, and atorvastatin is the most used drug in that class. People take statins to lower their blood cholesterol levels and reduce their risk of heart disease. However, statins may also lower levels of testosterone and other androgens. These are hormones that have important functions in male and female health and development. What did we do? We wanted to measure the effect of atorvastatin on testosterone and other androgens.We searched for all studies in the medical literature that compared the effect of different doses of atorvastatin to placebo or no treatment in males and females, and also reported on their levels of testosterone and other androgens . We looked for studies in which the treatments people received were decided at random. This type of study usually gives the most reliable evidence about the effects of a treatment. Studies could have participants of any age.After we identified these studies, we compared the results, and summarized the evidence from all the studies. Finally, we rated our confidence in the evidence ("certainty of the evidence"), based on such factors such as study methods and sizes, and how consistent the findings were across studies. What did we find? We found six studies, involving a total of 265 participants. Studies were conducted in China, Finland, Iran, Turkey, the UK and the USA.Evidence from four studies suggests that atorvastatin may have a potentially beneficial effect in females with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a set of symptoms that may develop in women with higher than normal androgen levels. In women with PCOS, atorvastatin helped to decrease total testosterone and other androgens.We found two studies in men, where atorvastatin had no significant effect on total testosterone. What does this mean? The certainty of the evidence for all outcomes ranged from low to very low. Our statistical estimates for the effects of atorvastatin on testosterone and other androgens in males and females may be very different from the true effects. More studies are needed to answer this important question. How up-to-date is this evidence? The evidence from our review is current to November 2020.If you found this evidence helpful, please consider donating to Cochrane. We are a charity that produces accessible evidence to help people make health and care decisions. Authors' conclusions: We found no significant difference between atorvastatin and placebo on the levels of total testosterone in males. In females with PCOS, atorvastatin lowered the total testosterone, FAI, androstenedione, and DHEAS. The certainty of evidence ranged from low to very low for both comparisons. More RCTs studying the effect of atorvastatin on testosterone are needed. Read the full abstract...Background: Statins are one of the most prescribed classes of
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