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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Men who have Multiple Sclerosis (MS) may get some relief from a testosterone gel.
Researchers from UCLA say using the gel reduced symptoms, slowed brain degeneration, and increased muscle mass in men with relapsing-remitting MS -- the most common form of the disease characterized by periods of neurological symptoms, such as numbness or difficulty walking, followed by periods of remission.
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The study looked at 10 men with relapsing-remitting MS who were 46 years old on average. For six months participants did not use any treatment. Then they each used 10 grams of a gel containing 100 milligrams of testosterone to their upper arms once a day for 12 months.
Results show cognitive performance improved and brain deterioration slowed after one year. And muscle mass increased an average of 3.74 pounds. There were no reported adverse effects.
"The other optimistic thing about this study was that the protective effect of testosterone treatment on brain atrophy was observed in the absence of an appreciable anti-inflammatory effect, which suggests the protection the testosterone provided may not be limited to MS, but may be applicable to other non-inflammatory neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease," researcher Rhonda Voskuhl, M.D., was quoted as saying.
Researchers now plan to look at the effects of using testosterone gel in a much larger group of men with MS.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Archives of Neurology, 2007;64:683-688
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