Relation of Sex Hormones and Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate (DHEA-SO4) to Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Postmenopausal Women

Sex hormones play a major role in determining the risk of cardiovascular disease. While several studies have shown that reduced sex hormone-binding globulin is associated with an atherogenic pattern of lipoproteins and increased glucose concentrations in premenopausal women, little data are available examining the association of sex hormone-binding globulin and sex hormones with cardiovascular risk factors in postmenopausal women, a group with high rates of cardiovascular disease. The investigators hypothesized that in postmenopausal women decreased sex hormone-binding globulin and increased testosterone would be associated with an atherogenic pattern of cardiovascular risk factors. The sex hormone-binding globulin, total and free testosterone, estrone, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-SO4) in 253 postmenopausal women who were not taking hormones were measured in a population-based study, the Beaver Dam Eye Study (Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, 1988-1990). Sex hormone-binding globulin was significantly inversely correlated with body mass index (r = -0.53, p 0.001), glycosylated hemoglobin (r = -0.34, p < 0.001), and diastolic blood pressure (r = -0.25, p < 0.001), and positively correlated with high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL cholesterol) (r = 0.31, p < 0.001), and HDL cholesterol/total cholesterol (r = 0.31, p < 0.001). Total (r = -0.20, p < 0.01) and free (r = -0.14, p < 0.05) testosterone were significantly inversely correlated with HDL cholesterol/total cholesterol ratio. Total testosterone concentrations were also significantly positively correlated with total cholesterol (r = 0.15), body mass index (r = 0.16), and systolic (r = 0.17) and diastolic (r = 0.18) blood pressures (all p < 0.01). DHEA-SO4 was not associated with any of the metabolic variables, while estrone was inversely associated only with the HDL cholesterol/total cholesterol ratio (r = 0.13, p < 0.05). The authors conclude that increased androgenization in postmenopausal women is associated with atherogenic changes in cardiovascular risk factors.