Androgen status of the nonautoimmune dry eye subtypes.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate androgen levels of patients diagnosed with nonautoimmune dry eye, either with meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) or without MGD (non-MGD), and normal control subjects. This is a prospective, comparative, case-control study.


METHODS
Sixty-four (32 men and 32 women) subjects were enrolled for each of the three diagnostic groups. All dry eye patients were symptom positive. Nonfasting testosterone (T), sex hormone-binding globulin, serum albumin, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and DHEA sulphate levels of all study participants were determined using either automated immunoenzymatic assay, or standard radioimmunoassay. Analysis of variance was used to compare androgen levels among the three diagnostic groups in a gender-based design, followed by post-hoc multiple comparisons with the Tukey honestly significant difference test.


RESULTS
Mean T levels in men and women of the three diagnostic groups were not significantly different (p = 0.808, p = 0.156, respectively; ANOVA). Statistical analyses of the three diagnostic groups revealed a significant difference for men and women in bioavailable T levels (p = 0.002, p = 0.014, respectively; ANOVA), DHEA levels (p = 0.009, p = 0.004, respectively; ANOVA), and DHEA sulphate levels (p = 0.001, p = 0.001, respectively; ANOVA), whereas there was no statistically significant difference between non-MGD dry eye patients and controls for any of the measured androgen levels according to the post-hoc tests.


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrates that the androgen pool of nonautoimmune dry eye patients with MGD is significantly depleted compared with that of non-MGD and control cases.
Tamer
Cengaver
C
Department of Ophthalmology, Mustafa Kemal University Medical Faculty, Antakya, Turkey. cengavertamer@yahoo.ca
Oksuz
Huseyin
H
Sogut
Sadik
S
D000728:Androgens / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000097:blood*; D019314:Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate / Q000097:blood*; D015352:Dry Eye Syndromes / Q000097:blood*; D005141:Eyelid Diseases / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D008537:Meibomian Glands / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000378:metabolism; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin / Q000378:metabolism; D013666:Tears / Q000378:metabolism; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood*
D000728:Androgens; D012709:Serum Albumin; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin; D013739:Testosterone; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone; D019314:Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate