The Medical journal of Australia
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Androgen deficiency is a clinical diagnosis confirmed by hormone assays. Among younger men, androgen deficiency is usually due to underlying hypothalamopituitary or testicular disorders. ⋯ In the absence of characteristic underlying testicular or pituitary disorders, new diagnosis of androgen deficiency in older men is difficult because of the non-specific symptoms and the decline in blood testosterone levels seen in healthy ageing and chronic medical disorders. There remains no convincing evidence that androgen therapy is either effective treatment or safe for older men unless they have frank androgen deficiency.