Comparison of salivary testosterone levels in different phases of bipolar I disorder and control group

Abstract

Background:Testosterone is considered as a primary sex hormone, also known as an important anabolic steroid, that may involve in various mental disorders such as bipolar I disorder (BID). The goal of this study was to compare the testosterone salivary levels between different phases of BID and its association with the clinical features of BID.Materials and Methods:In a case–control study, 15 patients in the mania phase, 10 patients in the depression phase, and 16 in the euthymia phase were selected as patient groups. 18 healthy sex- and age-matched individuals were considered as healthy control group. Salivary samples obtained from all patients and control group and levels of testosterone were determined in saliva using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. All statistical calculations were conducted with the software Statistical Package for Social Science version 20 (IBM Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).Results:The mean testosterone level in euthymia phase was 186.34 ± 182.62 pg/mL, mania phase was 239.29 ± 273.22 pg/mL, depression was 153.49 ± 222.50 pg/mL, and healthy participants was 155.73 ± 126.0 pg/mL; no significant difference was found between groups (P = 0.68.(No statistically significant differences were found between psychotic and nonpsychotic as well as between patients who attempted suicide and nonattempter patients in terms of testosterone levels (P > 0.1).Conclusion:Our findings do not reveal significant difference between different phases of BID in terms of salivary testosterone levels. However, more comprehensive studies with larger sample size are required to confirm our findings.

Hormonal and inflammatory signatures of different mood episodes in bipolar disorder: a large-scale clinical study

“…The depressive and manic phases appear to be associated with different gonadal hormone profiles. Previous studies have found that testosterone levels are higher during manic episodes and lower during depressive episodes in contrast to controls [ 41 – 44 ]. The findings of our study are similar.…”

Abnormal features of human self‐domestication in bipolar disorder

“…At follow‐up, elevated baseline testosterone levels predicted suicide attempts such that a 10 ng/dL increase in testosterone translated to a 16.9‐times increased probability of suicide attempt. While it should be noted that one study found no significant differences in salivary testosterone levels either between BD type I patients and healthy controls or between euthymic, depressed, and manic BD patients (Mousavizadegan & Maroufi, 2018), there are reports of hypomania (Freinhar & Alvarez, 1985) and mania (Elboga & Sayiner, 2018) induced by androgen administration, as well as homicide after a man with BD was administered testosterone for hypogonadism (Sher & Landers, 2014). In a case with comorbid Klinefelter syndrome, however, testosterone therapy has been reported to effectively treat a pattern of frequent manic episodes refractory to treatment with mood stabilizers and second‐generation antipsychotics (Kawahara et al, 2015).…”

Abnormal features of human self-domestication in bipolar disorder

“…At follow-up, elevated baseline testosterone levels predicted suicide attempts such that a 10 ng/dl increase in testosterone translated to a 16.9-times increased probability of suicide attempt. While it should be noted that one study found no significant differences in salivary testosterone levels either between BD-I patients and healthy controls or between euthymic, depressed, and manic BD patients (Mousavizadegan and Maroufi, 2018), there are reports of hypomania (Freinhar and Alvarez, 1985) and mania (Elboga and Sayiner, 2018) induced by androgen administration, as well as homicide after a man with BD was administered testosterone for hypogonadism (Sher and Landers, 2014). In a case with comorbid Klinefelter syndrome, however, testosterone therapy has been reported to effectively treat a pattern of frequent manic episodes refractory to treatment with mood stabilizers and second-generation antipsychotics (Kawahara et al, 2015).…”