[Total testosterone level in postmenopausal women with dry eye].
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to compare total testosterone blood level among three groups of postmenopausal women: control, mild to moderate dry eye and severe dry eye.


METHODS
Twenty-nine postmenopausal women were selected. The exclusion criteria were: hormone replacement therapy in the last 8 weeks, mechanical palpebral abnormalities, pterygium, lacrimal obstructions, intraocular inflammation or contact lens use. A blood sample was collected for total testosterone level determination, and the patients were submitted to an ophthalmologic examination (emphasizing on dry eye detection) and answered the OSDI (Ocular Surface Disease Index) questionnaire. Five patients were excluded. Postmenopausal women were divided into three groups according to OSDI score and the ophthalmic examination.


RESULTS
Five patients were classified in the no dry eye group (control), fifteen in the mild to moderate dry eye group and four in the severe dry eye group. There were no statistically significant differences regarding mean age (p=0.3915); instruction level (p=0.9333); number of comorbidities (p=0.2551); medication taken (p=0.2844) and total testosterone level among those groups (p=0.1275).


CONCLUSIONS
Further research with a greater bigger sample is necessary to establish the relation of androgen levels in dry eye patients.
Duarte
Maria Cecília Barros
MC
Hospital das Clínicas, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brasil. mariaceciliabd@hotmail.com
Pinto
Natércia Trindade
NT
Moreira
Hamilton
H
Moreira
Ana Tereza Ramos
AT
Wasilewski
Daniel
D
D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015352:Dry Eye Syndromes / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000097:blood*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood*
D013739:Testosterone