Male aging and hormones: the adrenal cortex.
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in the aging male (adrenopause) is characterized by an unexplained reduction of DHEA secretion while ACTH and cortisol show no major changes, except for a lower amplitude of 24-h fluctuations and a tendency to higher cortisol values in the evening and night (especially in dementia). As a consequence, the cortisol/DHEAS ratio tends to be higher. Adrenocortical morphology reveals an age-related reduction in the thickness of the zona reticularis, and an increase of microhemorrhagic events. This may be one of the underlying causes of the age-dependent high frequency of adrenal nodules incidentally found in the elderly, which may seldom be hormonally active.
Ferrari
M
M
O.U. of Endocrinology, University of Padua, 35128 Padua, Italy.
Mantero
F
F
D000302:Adrenal Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D047649:Andropause / Q000502:physiology*; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D006854:Hydrocortisone