Serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate concentration is lower in women with primary aldosteronism

• Main Authors: Ai-Hua Chen, Hung-Yuan Li, Vin-cent Wu, Yen-Hung Lin, Tien-Shang Huang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hindawi - SAGE Publishing 2015-03-01
• Series: Journal of the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1177/1470320313483843
• ISSN: 1470-3203; 1752-8976

Objective: The objective of this article is to measure serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) concentration in both genders with primary aldosteronism (PA). Materials and methods: The study enrolled 78 subjects with normal controls, 46 subjects with essential hypertension and 85 subjects with PA from October 2007 to June 2011. Subjects with PA were divided into three subtype groups: aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA), bilateral idiopathic hyperplasia (IHA) and PA with negative imaging findings. Results: Women with PA ( n = 49) had lower serum DHEA-S levels compared with normal controls and subjects with essential hypertension ( p < 0.01). In subtype analysis, only female APAs had lower serum DHEA-S levels ( p < 0.01 compared with normal controls, p < 0.01 compared with subjects with essential hypertension). In APA, a significant correlation between tumor size and serum DHEA-S was found in women ( p < 0.01). Conclusion: Our data suggested that serum DHEA-S levels are lower in women with PA. In subtype groups, only women with APA had lower serum DHEA-S. There was no significant difference between subjects with bilateral essential hyperplasia, PA with negative imaging findings, normal controls and subjects with essential hypertension in both genders. The serum DHEA-S level is negatively correlated with the size of APA.