Lower Serum Androstenedione Levels in Pre-Rheumatoid Arthritis versus Normal Control Women: Correlations with Lower Serum Cortisol Levels

Table 1

Hormones reported by the referral laboratory in a first (1992) and second (1994) set of assays.

Hormones assayed and statistical values	Reported assay results in 1st and 2nd female sets			Normalized combined assays
	1st Set	2nd Set	All females	Control	Pre-RA	All females
Pregnenolone:
Mean (nmol/L) ± SE (𝑛)	5.3 ± 0.57 (69)	5.2 ± 0.32 (73)*	5.3 ± 0.32 (142)	5.1 ± 0.34 (111)	5.6 ± 0.88 (31)	5.2 ± 0.32 (142)
Median; IQR	3.1; 2.70–5.56	4.6; 3.57–6.95	3.9; 3.11–6.50	3.8; 2.67–6.59	3.95; 3.29–6.06	3.8; 2.93–6.57
Progesterone:
Mean (nmol/L) ± SE (𝑛)	5.8 ± 1.26 (69)	14.0 ± 2.02 (107)	10.8 ± 1.35 (176)	13.4 ± 1.49 (141)	17.3 ± 3.37 (35)	14.2 ± 1.37 (176)
Median; IQR	0.0; 0.00–9.79	3.9; 1.88–19.4	2.9; 0.00–11.5	5.8; 2.10–16.1	5.0; 2.10–30.1	5.7; 2.10–19.3
17-OH Pregnenolone:
Mean (nmol/L) ± SE (𝑛)	5.1 ± 0.40 (69)	7.2 ± 0.57 (73)	6.2 ± 0.36 (142)	7.2 ± 0.41 (111)	7.0 ± 0.71 (31)	7.1 ± 0.35 (142)
Median; IQR	4.4; 2.50–7.34	5.6; 4.21–9.45	5.1; 3.34–7.96	5.9; 4.33–9.27	5.9; 3.82–8.90	6.0; 4.30–9.26
17-OH Progesterone:
Mean (nmol/L) ± SE (𝑛)	3.8 ± 0.36 (69)	4.8 ± 0.53 (73)*	4.3 ± 0.33 (142)	4.8 ± 0.39 (111)	4.5 ± 0.60 (31)	4.7 ± 0.33 (142)
Median; IQR	2.6; 1.66–5.58	3.4; 1.60–6.27	2.8; 1.63–5.85	3.2; 1.93–6.35	3.6; 1.57–6.93	3.5; 1.93–6.38
Dehydroepiandrosterone:
Mean (nmol/L) ± SE (𝑛)	11.5 ± 1.04 (63)	19.8 ± 1.78 (73)	15.9 ± 1.12 (136)	20.2 ± 1.23 (107)	18.0 ± 2.18 (29)	19.7 ± 1.07 (136)
Median; IQR	9.1; 5.28–17.4	15.9; 12.5–19.3	13.4; 8.63–18.4	16.9; 13.4–25.0	15.5; 12.0–17.8	16.3; 13.1–21.8
Androstenedione:
Mean (nmol/L) ± SE (𝑛)	7.5 ± 0.45 (64)	3.2 ± 0.27 (72)	5.2 ± 0.32 (136)	7.8 ± 0.28 (108)	6.4 ± 0.40 (28)^†	7.5 ± 0.24 (136)
Median; IQR	6.7; 4.90–10.4	2.8; 1.71–4.16	4.2; 2.23–7.25	7.2; 5.91–9.53	6.5; 4.99–7.88	7.1; 5.55–8.97
Testosterone:
Mean (nmol/L) ± SE (𝑛)	0.89 ± 0.05 (60)	2.5 ± 0.21 (73)	1.8 ± 0.13 (133)	2.5 ± 0.14 (103)	2.5 ± 0.21 (30)	2.5 ± 0.12 (133)
Median; IQR	0.83; 0.56–1.11	2.3; 1.39–3.35	1.3; 0.76–2.34	2.4; 1.80–3.03	2.3; 1.84–2.89	2.4; 1.81–2.95
Estradiol:
Mean (pmol/L) ± SE (𝑛)	562 ± 29 (69)	263 ± 42.3 (61)	422 ± 28 (130)	253 ± 24 (102)	247 ± 43 (28)	252 ± 21 (130)
Median; IQR	518; 435–659	159; 75–315	386; 175–568	202; 96–329	181; 108–367	191; 98–340
Estrone:
Mean (pmol/L) ± SE (𝑛)	282 ± 43 (69)	Not performed	283 ± 43 (69)	289 ± 53 (55)	216 ± 35 (14)	274 ± 43 (69)
Median; IQR	209; 146–309		209; 146–309	201; 140–301	182; 122–297	201; 137.0–300
Corticosterone (cmpd B):
Mean (nmol/L) ± SE (𝑛)	10.2 ± 0.85 (69)	1.63 ± 0.17 (110)	5.0 ± 0.47 (179)	10.5 ± 0.40 (143)	9.6 ± 0.64 (36)	10.3 ± 0.34 (179)
Median; IQR	8.00; 6.23–12.8	1.18; 0.45–2.00	2.28; 0.92–7.36	9.60; 8.56–11.0	9.54; 7.76–10.7	9.60; 8.56–10.9
Deoxycortisol:
Mean (nmol/L) ± SE (𝑛)	2.3 ± 0.18 (69)	0.49 ± 0.09 (110)	1.2 ± 0.11 (179)	2.3 ± 0.10 (143)	2.2 ± 0.17 (36)	2.3 ± 0.09 (179)
Median; IQR	2.2; 1.07–3.15	0.25; 0.00–0.67	0.64; 0.12–1.85	2.2; 1.6–2.7	2.1; 1.57–2.93	2.2; 1.6–2.7
Cortisol:
Mean (nmol/L) ± SE (𝑛)	280.0 ± 17 (69)	236.4 ± 12 (110)	253.1 ± 10 (179)	233.7 ± 11 (143)	245.2 ± 24 (36)	236.0 ± 9.9 (179)
Median; IQR	250.8; 189–327	218.1; 148–286	232.0; 164–309	206.1; 155–285	240.5; 143–329	217.4; 154–286
DHEA sulfate (DHEAS):
Mean (μmol/L) ± SE (𝑛)	2.9 ± 0.27; (69)	1.9 ± 0.14 (110)	2.4 ± 0.14 (179)	2.9 ± 0.16 (143)	2.5 ± 0.26 (36)	2.9 ± 0.14 (179)
Median; IQR	2.4; 1.24–4.20	1.8; 1.04–2.63	1.9; 1.10–3.08	2.6; 1.63–3.86	2.3; 1.53–3.50	2.5; 1.59–3.83
Mean ages ± SEs	43.7 ± 1.2	44.0 ± 1.2	43.9 ± 0.89	43.9 ± 0.99	43.8 ± 2.03	43.9 ± 0.89

SE: standard error of mean; IQR: interquartile range of median.
∗Mean steroid values which did not differ (𝑃>0.050) between sets (see text for details). ^†𝑃=0.018.