An Australian team evaluated the combined effects of daily testosterone (topical) and a physical training programme in 14 men aged 48 to 81 with inclusion myositis, as part of a single-centre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study :
- testosterone did not significantly improve muscle strength, mass or function after 12 weeks,
- The male hormone did, however, improve participants’ emotional well-being (RAND-SF-36 questionnaire),
- 12 of them wished to continue the open-label trial for a year, an extension during which the disease remained relatively stable.
The authors would like to see a larger clinical trial.
