Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, diseases and mortality in a general aged population

Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) was measured in a five-year follow-u p study of random persons of three age cohorts (75-, 80-, and 85-years, N=5 71) in order to investigate its associations with clinical diseases and the ir risk indicators, as well as its prognostic significance in old age. DHEA S was higher in men (3.1 mu mol/L) than in women (1.9 mu mol/L) in the 75-y ear age group. It decreased in men up 85 years. Compared to healthy men, DH EAS was lower in men with a history of or manifest vascular diseases, prese nce of dementia, diabetes mellitus, malignancies and musculoskeletal disord ers, bur was Similar in all these disease groups. No differences were found in women. DHEAS did not relate to cardioechographic findings, cardiovascul ar risk factors or predictors of impaired survival prognosis. After control ling for age. DHEAS tended to be lower in the non-surviving than in the sur viving men (2.28 mu mol/L vs 2.65 mu mol/L, p=0.065). After controlling for disease, DHEAS did not predict increased risk of all-cause or cardiovascul ar mortality during the 5-year follow-up. In this study, gender differences in DHEAS persisted up to the age of 75 years. Low plasma DHEAS appears to be a secondary phenomenon rather than a specific risk indicator of common d iseases in old age.