Salivary Testosterone Levels and Major Depressive Illness in Men

1992 ◽  
Vol 161 (5) ◽  
pp. 629-632 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Huw Davies ◽  
Brian Harris ◽  
D. Roger Thomas ◽  
Nigel Cook ◽  
Graham Read ◽  
...  

Studies of testosterone levels in patients with major depressive illness have produced varying results, plasma levels usually being reported. Saliva levels reflect ‘free’ plasma testosterone, and a pilot study of 11 men with major depression with melancholia, who underwent a standard dexamethasone suppression test, is described. There were no significant differences in testosterone levels compared with an age-matched control group. In the patient group, pre-dexamethasone levels correlated significantly and negatively with depression ratings on the 21–item Hamilton and the Montgomery and åsberg depression scales, and also with state anxiety measured on the Spielberger scale.

1988 ◽  
Vol 152 (4) ◽  
pp. 554-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Watkins ◽  
Brian Harris ◽  
Nigel Cook ◽  
Roger Thomas ◽  
Diana Riad-Fahmy

The performance of the dexamethasone suppression test was assessed in 90 consecutive admissions with a diagnosis of depression, categorised according to two classification systems (DSM-III and ICD-9). Non-suppression was found in most of the diagnostic categories, but there was a highly significant association with the DSM-III classification ‘major depressive episode with melancholia’ (52%) in comparison with the ICD group ‘manic-depressive illness-depressed’ (29%).


1984 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 277-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allen Fraser

This study compares the utility of a cortisol suppression index with the standard dexamethasone suppression test as a diagnostic aid for major depressive disorder. In 50 patients the cortisol suppression index was found to have similar sensitivity while also having greater specificity and diagnostic confidence than the dexamethasone suppression test. By avoiding the need for a late-evening blood sample, the cortisol suppression index may be an acceptable alternative to the current procedure.


1984 ◽  
Vol 145 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alec Coppen ◽  
Janet Harwood ◽  
Keith Wood

SummaryThe dexamethasone suppression test (DST) was carried out on 143 patients with a major depressive disorder, who were classified into those with a history of weight loss (n = 89) and those without (n = 54). Seventy-three per cent of patients with weight loss and 61% of patients without had an abnormal DST; this difference was not statistically significant. Of the patients receiving prophylactic lithium therapy, 13 were found to have changed their DST status on retesting after a period of 14 months, but there was no significant difference in their weight. It is concluded that weight loss is not a necessary condition for an abnormal DST in depressive illness.


1987 ◽  
Vol 150 (4) ◽  
pp. 459-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alec Coppen ◽  
Maryse Metcalfe

The response to the dexamethasone suppression test (DST) was examined in 543 patients suffering from major depressive illness and 246 healthy controls, from 13 research centres, representing 12 different countries, in a World Health Organization Collaborative Study. In almost all the centres, the post-dexamethasone plasma Cortisol concentration was significantly higher in the patients than in the controls. Although there is variation between centres, this abnormal response to the DST was shown to be frequent in patients from widely different geographical areas.


1981 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 273-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mridula Chowdhury ◽  
Robert Tcholakian ◽  
Emil Steinberger

Abstract. It has been suggested that treatment of intact male rats with oestradiol benzoate (OeB) causes an interference with testosterone (T) production by the testes by a direct inhibitory effect on steroidogenesis. To test this hypothesis, different doses (5, 10 or 25 IU) of hCG were administered concomitantly with 50 μg of OeB to adult intact or hypophysectomized male rats. The testicular and plasma testosterone, and serum hCG levels were determined. The sex accessory weights were recorded. In the intact OeB-treated group of animals, hCG stimulated both the secondary sex organs and plasma testosterone levels above the intact control group. However, in hypophysectomized animals, although plasma testosterone levels increased above that of intact controls, their secondary sex organ weights did not. Moreover, inspite of high circulating hCG levels, the testicular testosterone content and concentration remained suppressed in OeB-treated animals. The reason for such dichotomy of hCG action on OeB-treated animals is not clear at present.


1982 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-114
Author(s):  
Masakazu Sarai ◽  
Norio Taniguchi ◽  
Takao Kagomoto ◽  
Hideaki Kameda ◽  
Takeshi Uema ◽  
...  

1998 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 411-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Massoubre ◽  
F Lang ◽  
L Millot ◽  
M Pichon ◽  
B Estour ◽  
...  

SummaryThis study was conducted to investigate the corticotropic axis in anorexia nervosa. In 93 female inpatients who met DSM-III-R criteria for anorexia nervosa, subsample (n = 64) with DSM-III criteria was also considered. Using stepwise regression analysis, this study examined the relationship between independent variables ie, age, body mass index, scores on depression scales and postdexamethasone serum cortisol, considered as a dependent variable. In patients who met DSM-III criteria, 16.7% of the variance of serum cortisol can be explained. The main predictors are depressive retardation, emaciation and age. Using stepwise logistic regression the main categorical predictors of the test suppression vs non suppression are of the same nature. The condition of realisation of DST are discussed.


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