Low testosterone was linked to different risks after hip and knee replacement
A matched database study linked untreated testosterone deficiency with postoperative blood clots, with other complications varying between hip and knee replacement.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Among men without testosterone therapy, low testosterone was associated with more postoperative complications, including blood clots. The pattern differed between hip and knee replacement, and knee replacement patients with low testosterone had fewer prosthetic joint infections. These associations do not show that low testosterone caused complications or that testosterone treatment would prevent them.
This abstract-based summary cannot quantify the associations: effect estimates and confidence intervals are absent. Matching an observational dataset does not establish cause and effect.
What researchers found
Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism
Men with untreated testosterone deficiency versus men with normal testosterone, at 90 days, 1 year and 2 years after hip replacement.
How groups were compared
Researchers grouped men by testosterone levels and matched their demographics and coexisting conditions. Men receiving testosterone therapy before surgery or within 2 years afterward were excluded, so this compared hormone status rather than treatment.
The knee replacement findings
After knee replacement, low testosterone was linked to more deep vein thrombosis, aseptic loosening (implant loosening without infection), readmissions and revision surgery. The same group had fewer prosthetic joint infections, showing a mixed pattern.
The original publication
Testosterone Deficiency and Total Joint Arthroplasty Outcomes-A Large Claims Database Study.
Glenn ER, Grutman AJ, Zhu AR et al.
J Am Acad Orthop Surg · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 40982628
- Record checked
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