"GALVESTON Texas Researchers from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston http found that testosterone replacement therapy may slow disease progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The paper httpjournals.sagepub.comdoifull. is currently available in Chronic Respiratory Disease httpjournals.sagepub.comhomecrd. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD is predicted by the World Health Organization to be the thirdleading cause of illness and death internationally by . Low testosterone is common in men with COPD and may worsen their condition. Men with COPD have shortness of breath and often take steroidbased medications for an extended time both of which increase their risk of low testosterone.  Previous studies have suggested that testosterone replacement therapy may have a positive effect on lung function in men with COPD said Jacques Baillargeon UTMB professor in preventive medicine and community health. However we are the first to conduct a large scale nationally representative study on this association. The goal of the study was to find out whether testosterone replacement therapy reduced the risk of respiratory hospitalizations in middleaged and older men with COPD. Using the Clinformatics Data Mart a database of one of the largest commercially insured populations in the U.S. Baillargeon and colleagues examined data of  men aged  to  with COPD who began testosterone replacement therapy between  and . They also used the national Medicare database to study data from  men with COPD aged  and older who initiated testosterone replacement therapy between  and .  We found that testosterone users had a greater decrease in respiratory hospitalizations compared with nonusers. Specifically middleaged testosterone replacement therapy users had a . percent greater decrease in respiratory hospitalizations compared with nonusers and older testosterone replacement therapy users had a . percent greater decrease in respiratory hospitalizations compared with nonusers said Baillargeon. The findings suggest that testosterone replacement therapy may slow the progression of disease in men with COPD. Other authors include UTMBs Dr. Randall Urban Wei Zhang Mohammed Zaiden Zulqarnain Javed Melinda SheffieldMoore YongFang Kuo and Dr. Gulshan Sharma.  The University of Texas Medical Branch  Office of Marketing and Communications   University Boulevard Suite .  Galveston Texas   UTMB Newsroom  utmbnews httpstwitter.comutmbnews ABOUT UTMB HEALTH Texas first academic health center opened its doors in  and today has three campuses four health sciences schools three institutes for advanced study a research enterprise that includes one of only two national laboratories dedicated to the safe study of infectious threats to human health and a health system offering a full range of primary and specialized medical services throughout Galveston County and the Texas Gulf Coast region. UTMB is a part of the University of Texas System and a member of the Texas Medical Center"