Introduction:

Male hypogonadism may cause a significant reduction in the quality of life. The determination of total testosterone constitutes the initial option for the biochemical diagnosis of hypogonadism.

Objective:

To determine the reference interval of total testosterone for the male population in reproductive age of Plaza de la Revolución municipality.

Methods:

It was conducted a cross-sectional and descriptive study in a representative sample (n=143) of the male population from 20 to 40 years old of Plaza de la Revolución municipality. For the recruitment of the sample it was used a direct method. The reference interval was established through a non-parametric method. There were conducted interrogations, physical examination, complementary biochemical (blood glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-c, LDL-c), and hormonal tests (total testosterone, PRL, FSH and LH).

Results:

The average age was 29.7 years. The body mass index ranged between 18.95 and 29.88 kg/m2 (mean value of 24.15). The means of the waist and hip circumferences were 86.62 and 99.77 cm, respectively. The reference interval of total testosterone calculated for the male population of Plaza de la Revolución municipality was of 7.69 to 40.52 nmol/L. The mean for total testosterone was 19.10 nmol/L.

Conclusions:

The reference interval of total testosterone calculated for the adult male population (20 - 40 years old) of Plaza de la Revolución municipality differs from that reported by the manufacturer of the diagnostic kit and it can be useful in clinical practice.

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