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Testosterone replacement therapy in adolescents and young men

  • Alexandra Aponte Varnum1
  • Luke van Leeuwen2
  • David A. Velasquez1
  • Braian Ledesma1
  • Nicholas Allen Deebel3
  • Jason Codrington2
  • Aymara Evans1
  • Alejandro Diaz4
  • David Miller1
  • Ranjith Ramasamy1,*,

1Desai Sethi Urology Institute, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA

2Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA

3Department of Urology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA

4Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Nicklaus Children’s, Miami, FL 33155, USA

DOI: 10.22514/jomh.2024.164 Vol.20,Issue 10,October 2024 pp.24-31

Submitted: 22 February 2024 Accepted: 24 April 2024

Published: 30 October 2024

*Corresponding Author(s): Ranjith Ramasamy E-mail: ramasamy@miami.edu

Abstract

Guidelines for testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) have been well studied and defined in adults, however, this remains less defined for adolescents and young men. There are a variety of conditions in adolescents and young men that necessitate TRT. These conditions range from genetic etiologies such as Kallmann syndrome and Klinefelter syndrome, to acquired causes such as testicular trauma. Conditions can be broadly classified as hypogonadotropic hypogonadism or hypergonadotropic hypogonadism, depending on whether there are concurrently elevated gonadotropins (follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH)). The decision to initiate TRT in these cases is multifaceted, contributing to the challenge of formulating clear guidelines. In this review, we utilized online sources such as PubMed and Google Scholar to find relevant literature, using key words such as testosterone therapy, adolescents and hormone replacement and hypogonadism in adolescents. This narrative review explores existing literature on TRT in adolescents and young men, encompassing common etiologies of hypogonadism in this population, available TRT therapies, and management and surveillance protocols. Furthermore, it addresses the evolving field of TRT in transgender youth. This study underscores the necessity for additional clinical investigations to explore emerging TRT therapies and establish clear surveillance guidelines tailored to this population.


Keywords

Testosterone therapy; Hormone replacement; Adolescent male hypogonadism


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Alexandra Aponte Varnum,Luke van Leeuwen,David A. Velasquez,Braian Ledesma,Nicholas Allen Deebel,Jason Codrington,Aymara Evans,Alejandro Diaz,David Miller,Ranjith Ramasamy. Testosterone replacement therapy in adolescents and young men. Journal of Men's Health. 2024. 20(10);24-31.

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