Exogenous testosterone therapy-commonly prescribed to address low testosterone-has significant implications for clinical care and public health. While it can improve bone density and sexual function, concerns remain about cardiovascular risks and prostate health. Balancing these benefits and risks is critical, especially as testosterone use has surged in recent years among older men.
In this study, University of Pennsylvania researchers Ashkan Ertefaie, Thao Nguyen, Stephanie Leonard, Dylan Small, and Sean Hennessy apply a novel statistical method called instrumented difference-in-differences (iDiD), developed at Penn, to evaluate testosterone’s real-world effects. Unlike conventional research approaches, which rely heavily on assumptions about patient characteristics and treatment patterns, the iDiD method minimizes these dependencies. This makes it particularly powerful for studying treatments like testosterone, where prescribing trends and patient populations evolve over time.
By providing more reliable estimates of testosterone’s risks and benefits, this work directly informs safer prescribing practices and public health guidelines, ensuring patients receive care grounded in robust evidence.