High Levels of 17β-Estradiol Are Associated with Increased Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 and Metalloproteinase-9 Activity in Tears of Postmenopausal Women with Dry Eye

Table 2

Comparison of serum levels of sex steroids between the dry eye group and the normal control group.

Laboratory test	Dry eye group ()	Control group ()	value
17β-Estradiol (pg/mL)			0.03
<5	29	20
≥5	15	2
Testosterone (nmol/L)	0.60 ± 0.41	0.40 ± 0.24	0.08
DHEA-S (μmol/L)	3.53 ± 1.93	3.15 ± 1.30	0.57
Progesterone (nmol/L)	0.79 ± 0.53	0.63 ± 0.39	0.34

Pearson’s chi-squared test.