BLOOD AND TISSUE DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE-SULFATE LEVELS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY BOWEL-DISEASE

Objective To evaluate the levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (D HEAS) in the blood and tissues of patients with inflammatory bowel dis ease (IBD). Methods DHEAS levels were measured by radioimmunoassay in blood from 112 patients with IBD: 46 with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 66 with Crohn's disease. The levels were compared with those in 80 hea lthy controls. In addition, DHEAS concentrations were measured iii gut tissue from 40 patients (28 patients with IBD and 22 with other bowel disorders) who had undergone gut surgery. Correlation analyses were c arried out between the blood and tissue levels of DHEAS. Results The m ean levels of DHEAS in the blood were markedly lower in the two patien t groups (1350 nmol/l in UC and 1850 nmol/l in Crohn's disease vs. 330 0 nmol/l in controls; p < 0.001 and p < 0.01 respectively). A diminuti on below the confidence limits of the controls (< 2500 nmol/l) was fou nd in 37 (79%) of the patients with UC and in 49 (74%) of those with C rohn's disease. The remainder had DHEAS levels within the normal range (> 2500 nmol/l). The overall mean DHEAS concentration in gut tissue w as 226 nmol/kg. A significant correlation was found between levels in the blood and those in tissues (correlation coefficient = 0.469; p < 0 .002). Conclusion These data indicate that low blood DHEAS is a featur e in a majority of patients with UC or Crohn's disease. The possibilit y that there is a functional relationship between low DHEAS levels and some of the pathophysiologic features of IBD needs to be investigated .