title: Is the free androgen index a useful clinical marker in male patients?
abstract: The clinical relevance of the free androgen index (FAI), a ratio of total testosterone (T) to sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG), was investigated in a regional population of men (n = 40) and women (n = 30). The FAI correlated well with free testosterone (T) in both men (r = 0.551, p < 0.001) and women (r = 0.454, p < 0.01). However, there was considerable variability among individual patients. Moreover, the FAI showed no association with sperm parameters in male patients, although total T and free T showed weak associations. The FAI may be a cost-effective alternative to free T measurement in the diagnosis of oligomenorrhea and hirsutism in women as previously shown, but may have little relevance in men.
authors.affiliation: USD School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sioux Falls, USA.
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Brannian
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Long
authors.forename: D O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Kreger
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006628:Hirsutism / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D008297:Male; D009839:Oligomenorrhea / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009845:Oligospermia / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis; D011085:Polycystic Ovary Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin / Q000032:analysis*; D013076:Sperm Count; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin; D013739:Testosterone