title: Normal estrogen, but low dehydroepiandrosterone levels, in women with pulmonary Mycobacterium avium complex. A preliminary study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  For unclear reasons, the phenotypical hosts for nontuberculous mycobacterial lung infection are often thin, elderly, white women without underlying lung disease. As these women are usually postmenopausal, we hypothesized that a state of relative hormone deficiency may predispose some women to pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial infection.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To conduct a prospective cross-sectional study to assess for alterations in systemic levels of sex hormones in patients with confirmed pulmonary Mycobacterium avium complex infection compared with healthy control subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Female patients with pulmonary M. avium complex infection (n = 35) were recruited along with similar-aged control subjects (n = 27) without lung disease from the general population of our institution. Levels of dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S), estrone, and ultrasensitive estradiol were measured from sampled blood.
  
  
  RESULTS
  DHEA-S levels of patients with M. avium complex infection were significantly lower than control subjects (mean 33 μg/dl vs. 59 μg/dl, P = 0.001). No significant difference was found in the levels of estrone (mean, 27 pg/ml vs. 28 pg/ml, P = 0.665) or ultrasensitive estradiol (mean, 9 pg/ml vs. 9 pg/ml, P = 0.364). Patients with M. avium complex had a lower body mass index (BMI) than control subjects (mean, 22 vs. 26, P = 0.001). There was no association between levels of DHEA-S, estrone, or estradiol, and BMI or age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women with M. avium complex infection had lower DHEA-S levels, but not lower estrogen levels, compared with control subjects. There was no relationship between BMI and hormone levels in the study population. Further study of these hormonal effects on immune function in nontuberculous mycobacterial infection is warranted.
authors: 1 Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, and.
authors: Joshua
authors: J
authors: Danley
authors: Rebecca
authors: R
authors: Kwait
authors: Donald D
authors: DD
authors: Peterson
authors: Jocelyn
authors: J
authors: Sendecki
authors: Beverly
authors: B
authors: Vaughn
authors: Kara
authors: K
authors: Nakisbendi
authors: Janet
authors: J
authors: Sawicki
authors: Leah
authors: L
authors: Lande
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000097:blood*; D004967:Estrogens / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008875:Middle Aged; D015269:Mycobacterium avium Complex / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015270:Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D010414:Pennsylvania / Q000453:epidemiology; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D004967:Estrogens; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone
keywords: Th1–Th2 balance; body mass index; hormones; menopause; nontuberculous mycobacteria