The relationship between serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate concentration and bone mineral density, lipids, and hormone replacement therapy in premenopausal and postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the relationship between serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) concentration and bone mineral density (BMD), lipids, and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in postmenopausal women.

METHODS

Two hundred twenty-seven women aged >40 years were admitted to the study and divided into three groups: 61 premenopausal normally menstruating women, 108 postmenopausal women who were not receiving HRT, and 58 postmenopausal women receiving HRT. DHEAS levels and lipid patterns were measured. BMD measurements of the lumbar spine (L1-L4) were performed by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA).

RESULTS

A positive correlation between DHEAS levels and BMD was found in all three groups. A linear regression model was used to assess the effect of age, body mass index (BMI), parity, and BMD of lumbar vertebrae (L1-L4) on changes in the serum level of DHEAS and found that aging and BMD at the spine had a significant association with serum level of DHEAS and only aging after adjustment for age, BMI, parity, and lipid patterns among the three groups. Age (RR 0.80), DHEAS (RR 0.98), and osteoporosis/osteopenia rate (RR 24.94) were also found to be independent influencing factors for HRT use.

CONCLUSIONS

A positive correlation between DHEAS levels and BMD was found in all three groups. Our study confirms earlier reports that DHEAS levels decrease with age in premenopausal and, especially, postmenopausal women regardless of estrogen treatment. DHEAS levels in postmenopausal women were not associated with atherogenic lipid patterns in the present study.