Testosterone-Lowering Therapy for Prostate Cancer May Increase Alzheimer's Risk
By pennmedicine.org
Men taking androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer were almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in the years that followed than those who didn’t undergo the therapy, an analysis of medical records from two large hospital systems by Penn Medicine and Stanford University researchers has shown. Men with the longest durations of ADT were even more likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
The findings, published in the December 7 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, do not prove that ADT increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. But the authors say they clearly point to that possibility, and are consistent with other evidence that low levels of testosterone may weaken the aging brain’s resistance to Alzheimer’s.
“We wanted to contribute to the discussion regarding the relative risks and benefits of ADT, and no one had yet looked at the association between ADT and Alzheimer’s disease,” said lead author Kevin T. Nead, MD, MPhil, a resident in the department of Radiation Oncology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and a fellow at Penn’s Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics. “Based on the results of our study, an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease is a potential adverse effect of ADT, but further research is needed before considering changes to clinical practice.”
Nigam Shah, MBBS, PhD, associate professor of biomedical informatics research at Stanford, served as senior author. Samuel Swisher-McClure, MD, MSHP, an assistant professor of Radiation Oncology at Penn Medicine, served as a co-author.
Drastically reducing androgen activity can have adverse side-effects, however. Studies have found associations between low androgen levels (chiefly low testosterone levels) and impotence, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and depression. Research in recent years also has linked low testosterone to cognitive deficits, and has shown that men with Alzheimer’s tend to have lower testosterone levels, compared to men of the same age who don’t have the disease.
For the study, Nead, Swisher-McClure and their colleagues at Stanford’s School of Medicine evaluated two large sets of medical records, one from the Stanford health system and the other from Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City. The researchers scanned the records of 1.8 million patients from Stanford Health Care, and, through a prior institutional research agreement, 3.7 million patients from Mount Sinai Hospital.
Among this cohort, they identified about 9,000 prostate cancer patients at each institution, 16,888 of whom had non-metastatic prostate cancer. A total of 2,397 had been treated with androgen deprivation therapy. Nead and his colleagues compared these ADT patients with a control group of non-ADT prostate cancer patients, matched according to age and other factors.
Using two different methods of statistical analysis, the team showed that the ADT group, compared to the control group, had significantly more Alzheimer’s diagnoses in the years following the initiation of androgen-lowering therapy. By the most sophisticated measure, members of the ADT group were about 88 percent more likely to get Alzheimer’s during the follow-up period.
The analyses also suggested a “dose-response effect.” The longer individuals underwent ADT the greater their risk of Alzheimer’s disease, they found. The longer-duration ADT patients also had more than double the Alzheimer’s risk of non-ADT controls.
The findings held up when the patient groups from the two hospital systems were considered separately.
“It’s hard to determine the precise amount of increased risk in just one study and important to note that this study does not prove causation,” Nead said. “But considering the already-high prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in older men, any increased risk would have significant public health implications.”
This work was bolstered by electronic medical records shared by Mount Sinai Hospital, which doubled the number of relevant patient records—highlighting the importance of such cross-institutional collaborations.
Ultimately, further studies will be needed to determine whether ADT does increase Alzheimer’s risk. Nead and colleagues are now hoping to examine this association in large cancer registry datasets to see which subgroups of patients might be at greatest risk.
The co-authors of the study from Stanford were Greg Gaskin, BS; Cariad Chester, BS MSHP; and Nicholas J. Leeper, MD. The researchers collaborated with Joel Dudley, PhD, assistant professor of genetics and genomic sciences at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
Source: https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-releases/2015/december/testosteronelowering-therapy-f
Wednesday, May 13, 2026
Why Generic Medication Questions Matter in Allergy Planning
People dealing with repeated allergy symptoms often become familiar with the same cycle every year. Sneezing starts, congestion follows, and daily routines become harder to manage. When it is time to choose a treatment, one of the most common questions is whether a generic option can provide the same kind of dependable relief as a brand name product. Understanding that question can make allergy planning more practical and less stressful. Generic medications are typically introduced after the original branded medicine has already been studied and widely used. They are expected to meet specific standards for quality, safety, and performance. Even so, many consumers remain uncertain because packaging looks different, store shelves can feel crowded, and the names are not always easy to compare at a glance. That confusion can delay care or lead people to spend more than they intended. For allergy sufferers, the goal is usually straightforward: find a treatment that controls symptoms with minimal disruption to work, family life, and sleep. That means looking beyond labels and focusing on how a medication fits your daily needs. A once daily option may be easier for some people to follow consistently, while others may pay more attention to how quickly they notice relief after a dose. If you are trying to sort through these choices, reviewing information about allegra fexofenadine generic use can help frame better questions for your next pharmacy visit. Asking about comparable active ingredients, expected duration, and possible side effects is often more useful than focusing on packaging alone. A pharmacist can also explain whether different product names reflect the same medicine or meaningful differences in formulation. Good allergy planning should include more than medication selection. Limiting indoor allergen buildup, washing bedding regularly, and keeping track of local pollen conditions can all support better symptom control. When these habits are combined with a medication plan that makes sense financially and practically, daily comfort tends to improve. It is also wise to watch for signs that symptoms may involve more than seasonal allergies. Persistent cough, fever, wheezing, or facial pain can suggest another problem that deserves medical attention. Self treatment works best when the underlying cause is clear. People who want a stronger foundation for symptom management can learn from broader allergy guidance covering triggers, medications, and prevention habits. A better understanding of generic options can help turn a confusing purchase into a confident long term plan.
Friday, May 8, 2026
Avoiding Common Mistakes When Searching Fast Treatment Answers
When people feel unwell, they often look for immediate answers online before seeing a clinician. Fast information can help, but rushed interpretation can lead to treatment mistakes. A safer strategy is to use online reading as preparation for professional discussion, not as a replacement for diagnosis. Many infection symptoms overlap in the early stage. Fever, sore throat, cough, fatigue, and body aches can arise from different causes, and treatment needs vary accordingly. Acting on one article or social post without context may delay proper care. Patients should focus on questions that improve decision quality. What symptoms suggest urgent reassessment? Which side effects require immediate contact? How should missed doses be handled if treatment is prescribed? Clear questions usually produce safer outcomes. If you are reviewing zithromax azithromycin over the counter information, use it to frame clinician or pharmacist questions rather than to self prescribe. Ask whether this medicine category matches your symptom pattern and what monitoring is expected during treatment. Symptom logs are valuable during uncertain periods. Recording temperature, breathing comfort, pain pattern, and hydration each day helps clinicians evaluate progress faster and adjust care when needed. Patients should avoid sharing medication and should avoid reusing leftovers from previous illnesses. Similar symptoms do not confirm the same diagnosis, and unsupervised use can increase risk. Urgent warning signs require immediate action, including breathing difficulty, chest pain, confusion, persistent high fever, or rapid deterioration. For broader context on responsible treatment choices, reviewing trusted information about antibiotic guidance can improve safety. Better outcomes usually come from timely evaluation, clear communication, and disciplined follow through once a plan is established. Families can also prewrite urgent contact numbers and pharmacy details for faster response during stressful evening situations. This prevents delays when symptoms escalate quickly.
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