Dear Sir,
I read with interest the Letter to the Editor, ‘LOH – pitfalls of an ambiguous abbreviation’ and the suggestion by Krause and Happle for a new and cute acronym: HAM, for grown-up men with low serum testosterone Citation[1].
What is wrong with testosterone deficiency syndrome (TDS) Citation[2] that clearly conveys what we are talking about? After all, The Endocrine Society Citation[3] almost got it right when calling it androgen deficiency syndrome (ADS). The fact is that we are primarily focused on testosterone to the exclusion of dehydrotestosterone, androstendione, dehydroepiandrosterone and other androgens.
Considering the effects of testosterone on mood and behaviour, one would expect a vigorous controversy on this issue of nomenclature.
Respectfully,
Alvaro Morales
Centre for Applied Urological Research
Queen's University
Kingston, Canada
References
- Krause W, Happle R. LOH – pitfalls of an ambiguous abbreviation. Aging Male 2008; 11: 150–151
- Morales A, Schulman C, Tostain F, Wu F CW. Testosterone deficiency syndrome (TDS) needs to be named appropriately – the importance of accurate terminology. Eur Urol 2006; 50: 407–409
- Bhasin S, Cunningham G R, Hayes F J, Matsumoto, Snyder P J, Swerdloff R S, Montori V M. Testosterone therapy in adult men with androgen deficiency syndromes: an Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2006; 91: 1995–2010