CLINICAL USEFULNESS OF 3-ALPHA-ANDROSTANE DIOL-GLUCURONIDE IN HIRSUTEWOMEN

Aim of this prospective diagnostic study was to determine the serum 3 alpha-androstanediol-glucuronide (AdiolG) level in hirsute women in or der to assess the androgenic activity in peripheral tissue and to diff erentiate between hirsutism of peripheral origin and that of adrenal o r ovarian origin. Diagnostic advantages might have been expected in pa tients with idiopathic hirsutism, in whom increased 5 alpha-reductase activity may be reflected by this parameter. Apart from serum AdiolG, we determined the established parameters testosterone, androstendione and dehydroepiandosterone sulfate in 63 hirsute premenopausal women an d in 51 non-hirsute controls. AdiolG (P<0.05),as well as the 3 establi shed parameters (P<0.001) were elevated in the hirsute women as compar ed with the controls; however, the subgroup of women with idiopathic h irsutism (n = 32) showed no elevation of serum AdiolG. Analysis of the combined hirsute and control groups showed that the correlation of Ad iolG to the hirsutism score (r = 0.42) was markedly weaker than that o f testosterone to the latter (r = 0.62). Moreover, no correlation was found between the bodymass index and AdiolG. Our data show that serum AdiolG is obviously not a specific marker for peripheral 5 alpha-reduc tase activity, but appears to reflect the adrenal and ovarian androgen precursors. Thus, determination of serum AdiolG is of no diagnostic b enefit in the clinical assessment of hirsute women.