Hypogonadism in men with type 2 diabetes mellitus who have long-term exposure to industrial vibration

Hypogonadism syndrome in men is a symptom complex of clinical and/or hormonal changes associated with a deficiency of sex hormones. The hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis plays an important role in many processes, which is associated with both the development, maturation, and aging of the male body. With the help of this axis, there is a consistent relationship of processes aimed at maintaining the endocrine function of the testicles, ensuring the production of testosterone by the gonads, as well as ensuring the exocrine function associated with the formation of spermatozoa. Under the influence of a variety of both exogenous and endogenous factors, there is a gradual decrease in testosterone levels, which subsequently leads to the development of hypogonadism. Testosterone deficiency is a fairly common problem in men. Often, low androgen levels are not taken seriously at the primary level, and in some cases by specialized specialists, especially in older men. But it should be noted that not all patients present characteristic complaints, probably not giving them due importance. The combination of these factors indicates low awareness among both medical professionals and patients. Given the combination of various aspects that influence the formation of hypogonadism, in this article we consider the combination of type 2 diabetes in men with a history of long-term work experience in an industrial environment.

BACKGROUND: Hypogonadism plays an important role in the course of somatic diseases. Harmful working conditions in combination with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM 2) have a mutually potentiated effect in the formation of androgen deficiency, which in the long run leads to sexual and reproductive dysfunction and early loss of working capacity and disability in the male population of our country.

AIM: The goal is to determine the frequency of testosterone deficiency (TD) in long-term exposure to industrial vibration in men with type 2 diabetes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the period from 06.2024 to 06.2025, a one-stage, non-interventional, single-center screening study was conducted in the endocrinology department of the City Clinical Polyclinic No. 8 in Chelyabinsk, involving 896 men with type 2 diabetes. These included employees from steel, defense, and engineering industries. The patients were aged between 40 and 70 years. The participants were divided into two groups. The first group consisted of individuals who had never worked in hazardous production conditions (SD, n=88). The second group included individuals with a confirmed diagnosis of vibration disease (VD), with an average work experience in hazardous industries of 23 years [16.0; 31.0] years of SD 2 and vibration disease (SDVBD, n=96). Both groups had a duration of SD 2 disease of more than 10 years.

RESULTS: As a result of statistical processing of the initial data, the parameters of carbohydrate metabolism in the form of glycated hemoglobin were 7.70 [6.90; 8.60] in the DM group versus the ADHD group 7.85 [7.30; 8.80] (p=0.100), as well as glucose 8.10 mmol/l [7.10; 9.88] in DM and 8.93 mmol/l [7.24; 11.6] in the ADHD group (p=0.151), there were no significantly significant differences. Clinical and laboratory indicators of androgenic status, on the contrary, showed statistically significant changes, testosterone (T) in the DM group was 15.3 [9.66; 22.7] nmol/l versus 9.25 [6.26; 15.7] nmol/l in the ADHD group (p< 0.001). Thus, the industrial vibration potentiated the DT in the SDB group.

CONCLUSION: Industrial vibration in combination with SD 2 contributes to the formation of DT, which is confirmed by clinical and laboratory data in the SDVB group. 

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