Elevated serum concentrations of androgens in women with pregnancy-induced hypertension

Abstract

Alterations of steroid hormone profiles have been suggested to be involved in the pathophysiology of pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH). The aim of our study was first to investigate serum concentrations of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, androstenedione and dehydroepiandrostenedione sulfate in women with PIH and normotensive pregnant women and secondly to evaluate an association between elevated serum concentrations of androgens and the development of severe disease. Serum concentrations of androgens were measured in 40 patients with PIH and 40 normotensive pregnant women, matched for gestational age, determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze the influence of elevated serum concentrations of androgens on the occurrence of PIH and the development of severe disease. The median serum concentrations of androstenedione and testosterone were significantly elevated in women with PIH compared to controls (6.3 and 5.0 ng/ml, 1.8 and 1.1 ng/ml, p = 0.005 and p = 0.04, respectively). The difference between the median serum concentrations of dihydrotestosterone and dehydroepiandrostenedione sulfate in women with PIH and controls was not significant. Elevated serum concentrations of androstenedione revealed a significant influence on the odds of presenting with PIH (p = 0.043) and were significantly associated with the development of severe disease (p = 0.014). Women with PIH have elevated serum concentrations of androstenedione and testosterone. Moreover, elevated serum concentrations of androstenedione are associated with development of severe disease.

The Effects of Fetal Gender on Serum Human Chorionic Gonadotropin and Testosterone in Normotensive and Preeclamptic Pregnancies

“…In preeclamptic pregnancies, however, studies have found lower maternal serum levels of estrogen than in normal pregnancies, so it is likely that other mechanisms mediate the maternal serum levels [19, 20]. In the present study, the maternal serum levels of total testosterone were significantly higher in preeclamptic than in normotensive pregnancies with male as well as with female fetuses ( P < 0.001).…”

Castration reduces blood pressure and autonomic venous tone in male spontaneously hypertensive rats

“…A study in hypertensive men showed that they exhibited lower levels of testosterone than normotensive men [48]. Conversely, androgen levels correlated positively with blood pressure in women with pregnancy-induced hypertension [49]. In addition, direct administration of testosterone to humans has variable effects on blood pressure [12].…”

Myocardial AKT: The Omnipresent Nexus

“…This study may give insight to certain physiological phenomena as to why men have higher incidences of cardiovascular diseases and decreased survival after onset of pathological insult compared with females. Similarly, women who are pregnant and have higher circulating androgens run the risk of pregnancy-induced hypertension leading to systemic organ damage (229, 330). Overall, the discrepancy between the sexes seems rooted at least in part with estrogen as a mechanism for activating survival kinases such as AKT to blunt cardiovascular diseases and progression of systemic diseases.…”