title: Hepatic steatosis is associated with low serum testosterone and high serum DHEAS levels in men.
abstract: Obesity and metabolic syndrome are associated with low serum testosterone levels. Hepatic steatosis contributes to the metabolic syndrome and might be regarded as its hepatic manifestation. In this study, we sought to investigate the relationship between hepatic steatosis, serum testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) levels in men. This is a cross-sectional population-based study. We used data of 1912 men recruited for the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania, which was conducted in a region with high prevalence of metabolic syndrome and related diseases. Hepatic steatosis was defined according to sonographic criteria. The relationship of hepatic steatosis with serum testosterone and DHEAS levels was analysed by multivariable logistic regression. Men with low serum testosterone levels had a higher risk of hepatic steatosis than men with high serum testosterone levels. Adjustment for age and further confounders attenuated this association, but did not affect statistical significance (odds ratio 2.36; 95% confidence interval 1.66-3.37; p < 0.05). In the full model, the highest risk of hepatic steatosis was found in subjects with the highest serum DHEAS levels (odds ratio 1.59; 95% confidence interval 1.04-2.43; p < 0.05). Exclusion of men with high alcohol consumption did not affect these results substantially. Hepatic steatosis is associated with low serum testosterone and high serum DHEAS levels. These associations are independent of alcohol consumption.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Community Medicine, Ernst Moritz Arndt University Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany. voelzke@unigreifswald.de
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Völzke
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Aumann
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Krebs
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nauck
authors.forename: Antje
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Steveling
authors.forename: Markus M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Lerch
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rosskopf
authors.forename: Henri
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wallaschofski
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019314:Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate / Q000097:blood*; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D013739:Testosterone; D019314:Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate