Serum sex hormones in premenopausal women with coronary heart disease.
OBJECTIVE
The objectives of this study were to investigate the relationship between the incidence of coronary heart diseases in premenopausal women and plasma level of total and free testosterone, estrogen, androstenedione and sex hormone binding globulin with coronary risk factors: fasting plasma concentration of glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, high and low density lipoproteins.


METHODS
The study was conducted in Faculty of Medicine, Jordanian University of Science/Irbid Jordan and Technology and department of cardiology in Queen Alia Heart Institute/Amman Jordan during the period from April 2003 to March 2004. Serum sex hormones levels were measured in fifty-three premenopausal women; 25 women with coronary heart disease who had hypertension and/or diabetes mellitus and 28 women without coronary heart disease. Ages ranged from 34 to 48 years. Blood samples were collected just before performing coronary angiography and serum was obtained and frozen at -70 degrees C until use.


RESULTS
We found that the mean triglyceride, fasting blood sugar total cholesterol, and low density lipoprotein concentration were significantly higher in coronary heart disease patients than in patients with normal coronaries. We also found that the low levels of sex hormone binding globulin and high levels of free testosterone are associated with development of coronary heart disease. No significant correlation could be established between other plasma sex hormones level and coronary heart disease.


CONCLUSIONS
In young women, in the presence of coronary risk factors and normal level of serum estrogen, the high levels of serum free testosterone and low levels of serum sex hormone binding globulin are associated with development of atherosclerosis and increased incidence of coronary heart disease.
Mohamad
Mohamad Jaffer
MJ
Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.
Karayyem
Mohamad
M
Mohammad
Mukhallad A
MA
Al-Alami
Jamil
J
Al-Hader
Adulfatah
A
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000735:Androstenedione / Q000097:blood; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D004967:Estrogens / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008075:Lipoproteins, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL / Q000097:blood; D016555:Matched-Pair Analysis; D008875:Middle Aged; D017697:Premenopause / Q000097:blood*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin / Q000032:analysis*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood
D001786:Blood Glucose; D004967:Estrogens; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D008075:Lipoproteins, HDL; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin; D013739:Testosterone; D000735:Androstenedione; D002784:Cholesterol