title: Age dependent secretion of LH and ACTH in healthy men and patients with erectile dysfunction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Age dependent secretion of testicular and adrenal androgens was examined in healthy men and patients with erectile dysfunction (ED).
  
  
  METHODS
  In 95 healthy men (age 20-74 years) and 739 patients with ED, luteineizing hormone (LH, n = 739), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH, n = 480) and the secretion products of testis and adrenal gland testosterone (T, n = 750), free testosterone (fT, n = 718), dehydroepiandrosteronesulfate (DHEAS, n = 598) and cortisol (n = 538) were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In healthy men, LH was measured from 0.75-8.58 mIU/ml and ACTH from 10.59-121.7 pg/ml. Statistically, age was not correlated to LH (P = 0.573) and ACTH (P = 0.833) in healthy men. The secretion products T (P < 0.05), fT (P < 0.001), DHEAS (P < 0.001) and cortisol (P < 0.05) declined significantly with age in healthy persons. In patients with ED, a significant age dependent increase of LH (P < 0.05, n = 739), but not ACTH (P = 0.469, n = 480) was found. T (P < 0.001, n = 736), fT (P < 0.001, n = 718) and DHEAS (P < 0.001, n = 598), but not cortisol (P = 0.307, n = 538) declined in age dependent patients with ED. Age matching revealed a statistical significant elevation (P < 0.05) only for LH (n = 659) in comparison to healthy men (n = 94), all other hormones were not different in both groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An LH-increase in patients with erectile dysfunction underlines the importance of Leydig cell degeneration in this disease, but age dependent decline of T secretion was comparable to healthy men, demonstrating a working hypophyseal-testicular-axis. Indication of androgen replacement is therefore limited to selected cases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, University of Saarland, Homburg/Saar, Germany. drderouet@aol.com
authors.forename: Harry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Derouet
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lehmann
authors.forename: Bettina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Stamm
authors.forename: Christof
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lühl
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Römer
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Georg
authors.forename: Elke
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Isenberg
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gebhardt
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stoeckle
mesh_terms: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D019314:Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate / Q000378:metabolism; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D013739:Testosterone / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D013739:Testosterone; D019314:Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone; D006854:Hydrocortisone