Untersuchungen über das Verhalten der Androgene im Plasma hirsuter Frauen

Abstract

109 women with hirsutism were investigated (102 with idiopathic hirsutism, four with Stein-Leventhal syndrome, one each with adrenal adenoma, adrenal carcinoma and hilus-cell tumour). Levels of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, androstenediol and dehydroepiandrosterone were measured, usually in the course of a combined adrenal-ovarian stimulation-suppression test. Measuring several plasma androgens made it possible to distinguish idiopathic hirsutism from other endocrine diseases with hirsutism. Mean plasma testosterone level in idiopathic hirsutism was not significantly different from that in healthy women. Elevated testosterone and(or) dihydrotestosterone levels were found in only 22 of 102 women. There was a marked increase in plasma testosterone after HCG injection in the patient with Stein-Leventhal syndrome. Androstenediol and dehydroepiandrosterone were both important in the diagnosis of autonomous adrenal steroid secretion.

Plasma Dihydrotestosterone in Normal Adult Males and Its Relation to Testosterone

“…This DHT precursor, which is mainly secreted by the adrenal cortex, and which is not suppressed by fluoxymesterone, probably explains why DHT is suppressed to a smaller degree than T. The DHT increase we found was not significantly smaller than that of after HCG stimulation. This is in agree¬ ment with the observation of Demisch et al (1971) and of Maurer et al (1973).…”

“…Thus it was not surprising that plasma DHT and showed a significant correlation (Gupta et al 1972) and that DHT showed a similar increase as after HCG stimulation (Demisch et al 1971;Maurer et al 1973). This paper is concerned with the relationship between DHT and in the peripheral plasma of normal adult males.…”