Androgens in Health and Disease / Contemporary Endocrinology (PDF)

In recent years, medical researchers have demonstrated that androgens, both naturally occurring and synthetic, influence a myriad of physiological functions and can also be used therapeutically in a wide variety of clinical settings. In Androgens in Health and Disease, an authoritative panel of researchers and clinicians review our latest understanding of andrology in both basic science and clinical medicine. Topics range from explaining the biology of androgens-from several different perspectives-to illuminating their role in the development and modulation of physiologic systems. The authors demonstrate how testosterone can be a useful adjunct to the treatment of a variety of disease states, particularly those in which catabolism and loss of muscle mass occur. Other chapters consider important topics such as androgen use in athletes, the potential of androgens to improve physical function and quality of life in older men, and androgens as potential male contraceptives. Of special interest is a presentation of recent advances in understanding the physiological and clinical effects of androgen excess and androgen deficiency in women.

Authoritative and wide-ranging, Androgens in Health and Disease offers both researchers and practicing clinicians a comprehensive survey of how, why, and where androgens exert their effects, as well as their therapeutic roles in a broad range of diseases.