ADRENAL ANDROGENS AND TESTOSTERONE IN PATIENTS WITH NON-INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES MELLITUS

Adrenal androgens have recently received much attention regarding their anti-diabetic effects. We investigated the serum levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) and testosterone in 68 men with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and in 31 non-diabetic men. Compared with non-diabetic men, men with NIDDM had significantly lower levels of DHEA-S and testosterone. Serum levels of DHEA-S showed a significant negative correlation with age and were also inversely related to the severity of diabetic nephropathy. However, no correlations were observed between serum levels of DHEAs and fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c, serum total cholesterol concentration or serum triglyceride concentration. Our results suggest that diabetes and aging have detrimental effects on adrenal androgens, and that lower levels of adrenal androgens are also associated with the severity of diabetic nephropathy, but not with glycemic control or dyslipidemia