Nansunga Miriam, Manabe Yukari C, Alele Paul E, Kasolo Josephine
Department of Physiology, Kampala International University, Ishaka Campus. P.O. Box 71, Bushenyi, Uganda.
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, John Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA ; Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere College of Health Sciences, P.O. Box 22418, Kampala, Uganda
Afr Health Sci. 2014 Jun;14(2):348-55. doi: 10.4314/ahs.v14i2.9.
Testosterone, a male reproductive hormone, affects several physiological processes, such as sperm production, energy, strength, sexual behavior, sleep and the general well being of men. Normal levels of testosterone are necessary to effect these physiological processes. The objective of this study was to study the association between testosterone levels in a sample of Ugandan men with socio-demographic characteristics, and compare the testosterone levels of Ugandan men with that of men in other countries.
Eighty men were enrolled from the medical campus at Makerere University. Blood samples were drawn from 7.00 - 8.00 a.m. and total testosterone was measured using radioimmunoassay. The free and bioavailable testosterone was calculated after measuring sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) and albumin in the blood samples. Self-administered questionnaires were used to obtain socio-demographic characteristics of the subjects. Biometric measurements including weight, height and waist circumference were also recorded.
Serum testosterone levels of Ugandan men were within the normal physiological ranges. Married participants and those with dependents had lower testosterone than unmarried participants and those without dependents respectively. Sexually active participants had lower testosterone levels than those who were not sexually active.
Testosterone levels were lower in association with several socio-demographic characteristics including being married, having dependents, and daily coital frequency. Further research is warranted into the relationship between testosterone levels and contributory sexual behavior that may be important in understanding the spread of HIV/AIDS, given its high prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa.
睾酮是一种男性生殖激素，会影响多种生理过程，如精子生成、能量、力量、性行为、睡眠以及男性的总体健康状况。正常水平的睾酮对于实现这些生理过程至关重要。本研究的目的是探讨乌干达男性样本中睾酮水平与社会人口学特征之间的关联，并将乌干达男性的睾酮水平与其他国家男性的睾酮水平进行比较。
从马凯雷雷大学医学院招募了80名男性。于上午7:00至8:00采集血样，采用放射免疫分析法测定总睾酮水平。在测定血样中的性激素结合球蛋白（SHBG）和白蛋白后，计算游离睾酮和生物可利用睾酮水平。使用自行填写的问卷获取受试者的社会人口学特征。还记录了包括体重、身高和腰围在内的生物测量数据。
乌干达男性的血清睾酮水平在正常生理范围内。已婚参与者和有家属的参与者的睾酮水平分别低于未婚参与者和无家属的参与者。有性行为的参与者的睾酮水平低于无性行为的参与者。
睾酮水平较低与多种社会人口学特征相关，包括已婚、有家属以及每日性交频率。鉴于撒哈拉以南非洲地区艾滋病病毒/艾滋病的高流行率，有必要进一步研究睾酮水平与可能对理解艾滋病病毒/艾滋病传播至关重要的性行为之间的关系。
