Measurement of salivary testosterone in adolescents and young men with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
BMC Endocr Disord
; 21(1): 63, 2021 Apr 10.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33838674
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Many young adults with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) receive long-term glucocorticoids (GC). GC can cause hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism and adolescents may therefore be candidates for pubertal induction. It is unclear whether men with DMD on or off GC have age-appropriate endogenous testosterone production.METHODS:
We undertook a quality improvement project to assess the feasibility of measuring salivary testosterone (SalT) levels in men with DMD at home. A Sal-T sampling kit was sent by post to all patients with DMD, aged 17 and older, registered at the John Walton Muscular Centre in Newcastle (n = 75). Submitted Sal-T samples were collected and submitted for analysis.RESULTS:
Twenty-eight out of seventy-five patients returned samples (age range 17-34 years). 6/28 samples were unsuitable for analysis. Overall Sal-T levels (n = 22) were significantly lower than in the healthy population (178 ± 107 v 287 ± 109 pmol/l, p = 0.0001). Sal-T was lower in those on GC compared to those off GC (144 ± 81 versus 218 ± 125 pmol/l, p = 0.05). Three patients were unable to collect a sample due to ventilator dependence.CONCLUSION:
Sal T can provide information about androgen status in DMD patients at home, overcoming barriers such as mobility difficulties and challenging venepuncture. However we only obtained samples in a minority of patients suggesting that Sal-T measurement may not be appropriate or acceptable to everyone. There needs to be a more detailed exploration of the barriers to sample submission.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Kit de Reagentes para Diagnóstico
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Saliva
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Testosterona
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Distrofia Muscular de Duchenne
Tipo de estudo:
Diagnostic_studies
Limite:
Adolescent
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Adult
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Humans
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Male
Idioma:
En
Revista:
BMC Endocr Disord
Ano de publicação:
2021
Tipo de documento:
Article