Linkage Between Serum Testosterone And Lipid Profile In Hirsutism Disease Patients

• ORIGINAL ARTICLE | ISSUE DETAILS: VOL NO.2 | ISSUE NO. 2

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The development of thick, dark, abundant terminal hairs on androgen-dependent body parts, such as the mandibles, chin, and upper lips, is known as hirsutism. Hirsutism may result from ovarian or adrenal tumors, non-classic adrenal hyperplasia, polycystic ovary disease, or other idiopathic causes. The primary factor that causes hirsutism is androgen excess. An aberrant lipoprotein profile, marked by high plasma triglyceride concentrations, mildly elevated LDL cholesterol, and lowered HDL cholesterol, is seen in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Serum testosterone levels are correlated with lipid problems. There is scant information on alternative hir- sutism reasons that may also be related to PCOS, one of the well-established hirsutism causes.

Objective: “To establish relationship between lipid profile and serum testosterone in patients with hirsutism” was the study’s stated purpose.

Study Design: A Descriptive Study

Duration And Place Of Study: Department of Combined Military Hospital Peshawar for hair removal treatment between January 2013 and December 2013

Material and methods: Patients with established metabolic illnesses such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension were excluded from the research, whereas all female patients in the reproductive age range of 18–45 who presented with hirsutism and provided permission for the study were included. The analysis included one hundred female cases and one hundred female controls. Following clearance from the Advance Study and Research Board (ASRB) ethics committee, blood samples from individuals suffering from hirsutism were obtained in a laboratory at the Combined Military Hospital in Peshawar to investigate their lipid profiles and serum testosterone levels. Using kits from Merck Pakistan, serum lipids were examined using an automated chemical analyzer, the Selectra E. Using the chemical luminescence approach; the Beckman Coulter kit Access Testosterone Assay was used to measure the serum testosterone level. The program SPSS version-23 was used to analyze the data that was collected.

Results: The study’s findings demonstrated that, except HDL-c, which dramatically dropped, all biochemical markers in hirsutism patients were significantly higher than in the control group. There was a non-significant p (>0.05) and a positive correlation (r=0.052) between testosterone and HDL cholesterol, a significant p (<0.05) and a positive correlation (r=0.239) between testosterone and total cholesterol, and a positive correlation (r=0.314) between tes- tosterone and LDL cholesterol. In contrast, there was a non-significant association (r=0.054) and non-significant p (>0.05) between testosterone and triglycerides.

Conclusions: This research found that, compared to controls, serum testosterone, and lipid profiles were considerably aberrant. The lipid profile in hirsutism disorder exhibits a noteworthy correlation with total cholesterol. The association between blood testosterone and LDL cholesterol in hirsutism conditions was then further explored in this research. A notable and positive association was discovered. This research found that variations in blood testosterone levels from a normal point also resulted in variations in total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in cases with hirsutism disorder.