Endogenous progesterone is associated to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis prognostic factors.
Negative prognostic factors in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis include advanced age, shorter time from disease onset to diagnosis, bulbar onset and rapid progression rate.


OBJECTIVE
To compare progesterone (PROG) and cortisol serum levels in patients and controls and ascertain its relationship to prognostic factors and survival.


METHODS
We assessed serum hormonal levels in 27 patients and 21 controls.


RESULTS
Both hormones were 1.4-fold higher in patients. PROG showed a negative correlation with age, positive correlation with survival and positive trend with time to diagnosis. Increased PROG was observed in spinal onset and slow progression patients. No correlation was demonstrated with cortisol.


CONCLUSIONS
Increased hormonal levels in patients are probably due to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation. Nevertheless, in this preliminary report only PROG correlated positively with factors predicting better prognosis and survival. We hypothesize endogenous PROG and cortisol may be engaged in differential roles, the former possibly involved in a neuroprotective response.
Gargiulo Monachelli
G
G
Laboratory of Neuroendocrine Biochemistry, Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Meyer
M
M
Rodríguez
G E
GE
Garay
L I
LI
Sica
R E P
RE
De Nicola
A F
AF
González Deniselle
M C
MC
D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood*; D011379:Prognosis; D011863:Radioimmunoassay / Q000379:methods; D013223:Statistics as Topic
D011374:Progesterone; D006854:Hydrocortisone