Relationship of level of sex hormone and sex hormone receptor with development of metabolic syndrome in elderly men

Objective The sex hormone and the corresponding receptor may play some roles in the development of the metabolic syndrome (MS) in the elderly men. This study was designed to examine the relationship of level of the sex hormone and androgen receptor with MS in elderly men, thus to investigate the possible pathogenesis of MS . Methods This cross sectional study enrolled 587 elderly men, including 400 healthy controlls aged 62-92 years and 187 MS patients aged 60-87 years in Wan Shou Lu area of Beijing city. Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHAE-S), total testosterone (TT), sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), free testosterone (FT), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH),Estradiol (E2),luteinizing hormone(LH) and androgen receptor (AR) in blood were tested. Statistical analyses included the comparison analysis of variables and independent variables, correlation analysis using multi-factor linear regression, and multiple logistic regression analysis. Results DHAE-S, TT, SHBG, FT and AR fluorescence intensity in healthy control group were higher than those in MS group, however, FSH and E2 levels were lower in healthy group. Age was negatively correlated with diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and FT, but positively correlated with systolic blood pressure (SBP) and E2. AR fluorescence intensity was negatively correlated with SBP and LH. The logistic regression equation showed the negative correlation between DHEA-S, SHBG and the development of MS. Conclusions There are low levels of DHEA-S, TT, SHBG, FT and AR in the elderly patients with MS. On the contrary, FSH and E2 concentration are higher. It can be suggested that low levels of DHEA-S and SHBG may be the potential risk factors of MS in elderly men.