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Serum concentrations of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA‐S) in oldest old Japanese women correlate with cognitive activity rather than activities of daily living
Author(s) -
Yanase Toshihiko,
Muta Kazuo,
Nawata Hajime
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
geriatrics and gerontology international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.823
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1447-0594
pISSN - 1444-1586
DOI - 10.1111/j.1447-0594.2006.00346.x
Subject(s) - dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate , medicine , dehydroepiandrosterone , activities of daily living , dementia , endocrinology , univariate analysis , radioimmunoassay , gerontology , physiology , multivariate analysis , androgen , disease , psychiatry , hormone
Background: Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its interconvertible sulfate ester, DHEA sulfate (DHEA‐S), mainly produced by the adrenal glands, are progressively decreased with aging and are proven markers of longevity. Although serum level of DHEA (‐S) has been shown to be decreased in dementing diseases, the issue remains controversial. We investigated the physiological significance of DHEA‐S in oldest old Japanese women in respect of activities of daily living (ADL) or cognitive activities. Methods: Cross‐sectional study of 50 women aged 90–103 years old. Serum concentrations of DHEA‐S levels were measured by radioimmunoassay. ADL and cognitive activity were evaluated by the Bathel index and revised Hasegawa’s dementia rating scale (HDS‐R), respectively. Univariate or multivariate regression analyzes were used for statistics. Results: Of the 50 subjects, 80% exceeded the lowest level of the normal range for women in their forties. Serum concentrations of DHEA‐S were significantly correlated with HDS‐R but not with the Barthel index. Conclusion: Relatively higher levels of serum DHEA‐S in oldest old women may reflect the longevity of this population and the levels might be associated with cognitive activity rather than ADL.