Testosterone, cardiomyopathies, and heart failure

Androgens have several important effects on the cardiovascular system and exert their physiological actions through a genomic mechanism mediated by the androgen receptor and through nongenomic mechanisms. There is a growing body of evidence linking testosterone deficiency to different aspects of cardiovascular pathology, and the effects of testosterone replacement therapy on heart disease is a dynamic area for research. Heart failure is a major cause of hospitalizations and death worldwide and discovering new ways to modulate this disease could significantly impact patient prognosis. Our review focuses on testosterone relationships in heart failure and specific forms of cardiomyopathies. Please refer to pages 348–356 for details.