title: Are women with Sjögren's syndrome androgen-deficient?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We hypothesize that androgen deficiency is a critical etiologic factor in the pathogenesis of aqueous-deficient and evaporative dry eye in Sjögren's syndrome (SS). We investigated whether women with SS have a deficiency in total androgens. We also examined whether these patients have elevated serum concentrations of estrogens.
  
  
  METHODS
  Blood was drawn from women with primary and secondary SS and age matched controls, and analyzed for steroid concentrations by gas and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our results show that women with SS are androgen-deficient. Concentrations of 5-androstene-3beta,17beta-diol (5-diol), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), dihydrotestosterone (DHT), androsterone-glucuronide (ADT-G), and androstane-3a,17beta-diol-G (3alpha-diol-G) were all significantly reduced in SS sera relative to controls. In contrast, SS was not associated with significant alterations in the serum concentrations of testosterone, androstenedione, estrone, or 17beta-estradiol. These overall findings could not be attributed to the use of oral contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy, because the concentrations of 5-diol, DHEA, DHT, ADT-G and 3a-diol-G were also decreased in patients with SS compared to levels in control women who were not taking exogenous estrogens.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results show that women with SS are androgen-deficient.
authors.affiliation: Schepens Eye Research Institute, Harvard Medical School, 20 Staniford Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA. sullivan@vision.eri.harvard.edu
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bélanger
authors.forename: Jennifer M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Cermak
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bérubé
authors.forename: Athena S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Papas
authors.forename: Rose M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamagami
authors.forename: M Reza
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Dana
authors.forename: Fernand
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Labrie
mesh_terms: D000728:Androgens / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000728:Androgens