Chennai, Sept. 30: Men who are 40 and above in the country?s four major cities suffer a health slow-down at the ?peak of their respective careers?, a pilot medical study has found.

A medical condition called ?andropause?, it afflicts men as young as 35 in New Delhi, marking the earliest onset of the disease among the middle and upper-middle class respondents in the four cities.

The age of ?onset of the slow-down process? was 41 in Mumbai and 45 in both Calcutta and Chennai.

The study by Mumbai-based Blackstone Research found ?almost three-fourths of these men experience undesirable (health) changes?.

They experience ?decreased energy, physical tiredness, lethargy, abdominal obesity, mood swings, reduced interest in sex, poor concentration levels, decrease in body muscle and skin alterations, resulting from a gradual decline of a male hormone called testosterone?.

A gradual fall in levels of testosterone, crucial for maintaining men?s health, is normally a part of the ageing process in men above 40.

But andropause involves a much less gradual and heavier decline of the hormone ? dubbed ?almost akin to menopause? in women, by Apollo Hospitals chairman Dr P.C. Reddy.

The causes could be several, including changing lifestyles, sexologist Dr Narayana Reddy said at the release of the study at Apollo Hospitals here today.

Eighty per cent of the men, Narayana Reddy said, do not seek medical advice. Instead, 38 per cent opt for self-treatment and 42 per cent consider the symptoms ?part of aging?. The remaining 20 per cent approach urologists, psychiatrists, sexologists, endocrinologists and family physicians.

The disease is a growing concern among the country?s health specialists as India has 60 million men between 45 and 60 and 40 million above 60, said Narayana Reddy, president of the Indian Andropause Society and sexual medicine consultant at Apollo Hospitals. The condition, however, could be treated if diagnosed correctly, he said.

Men should get testosterone levels tested as they ?need to be ready for the peak of their life after 40 years, physically, emotionally and intellectually?, the specialist said.

On the occasion, Apollo Hospitals opened the country?s first ?Andropause Clinic/Registry? to treat patients and to systematically document the condition. At the end of the clinic?s first year, it will come out with the first nationwide scientific data on the disease.

The clinic, Narayana Reddy said, would put patients on a course of treatment after ruling out contra-indications like cancer. The treatment of ?andropausal men? needed a consensual approach as multiple specialities were involved, he added. Reddy said similar clinics would be set up by the hospital in other cities.