Inverse Associations Between Androgens and Renal Function: the Young Men Cardiovascular Association (YMCA) Study

Overview

Journal Am J Hypertens

Publisher Oxford University Press

Specialty Cardiology & Vascular Diseases

Date 2008 Dec 20

PMID 19096379

Citations 7

Authors

Maciej Tomaszewski

Fadi J Charchar

Christine Maric

Roman Kuzniewicz

Mateusz Gola

Wladyslaw Grzeszczak

Nilesh J Samani

Ewa Zukowska-Szczechowska

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Men exhibit higher risk of nondiabetic renal diseases than women. This male susceptibility to renal disease may be mediated by gender-specific factors such as sex hormones.

Methods: We have undertaken a cross-sectional examination of associations between renal function (creatinine clearance estimated based on Cockcroft-Gault equation) and circulating levels of sex steroids (total testosterone, total estradiol, estrone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), and dihydrotestosterone) in 928 young (mean age: 18.5 +/- 1.2 years) men.

Results: Both androstenedione and DHEA-S showed inverse linear associations with renal function in the crude analysis of lean men (those with body mass index (BMI) less than median). However, only DHEA-S retained its association with renal function in lean subjects after adjustment--assuming no changes in other independent variables 1 s.d. increase in DHEA-S was associated with 13%-s.d. decrease in creatinine clearance (P = 0.004). Testosterone decreased across tertiles of creatinine clearance only in the crude analysis of nonlean (BMI greater than median) subjects (P < 0.001). The adjusted regression analysis that assumed no changes in other independent variables showed that 1 s.d. increase in total testosterone was associated with 11%-s.d. decrease in creatinine clearance of nonlean men (P = 0.006). Factor analysis confirmed an inverse association of renal function with both sex steroids and a different pattern of their loadings on glomerular filtration-related factors in lean (DHEA-S) and nonlean (testosterone) subjects.

Conclusions: Our data may suggest that androgens are inversely associated with estimated renal function in apparently healthy men without history of cardiovascular disease.

Citing Articles

Association between estrogen and kidney function: population based evidence and mutual bidirectional Mendelian randomization study.

Han S, Xie G, Wang Y Clin Exp Nephrol. 2025; .

PMID: 39826006 DOI: 10.1007/s10157-024-02623-2.

X-chromosome and kidney function: evidence from a multi-trait genetic analysis of 908,697 individuals reveals sex-specific and sex-differential findings in genes regulated by androgen response elements.

Scholz M, Horn K, Pott J, Wuttke M, Kuhnapfel A, Nasr M Nat Commun. 2024; 15(1):586.

PMID: 38233393 PMC: 10794254. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-44709-1.

Associations of endogenous androgens and sex hormone-binding globulin with kidney function and chronic kidney disease.

Lau L, Nano J, Prehn C, Cecil A, Rathmann W, Zeller T Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2023; 13:1000650.

PMID: 36601008 PMC: 9807167. DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.1000650.

Low Serum Dehydroepiandrosterone Is Associated With Diabetic Kidney Disease in Men With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Zhang X, Xiao J, Li X, Cui J, Wang K, He Q Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2022; 13:915494.

PMID: 35784547 PMC: 9240345. DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.915494.

The impact of long-term Testosterone Therapy (TTh) in renal function (RF) among hypogonadal men: An observational cohort study.

Alwani M, Al-Zoubi R, Al-Qudimat A, Yassin A, Aboumarzouk O, Al-Rumaihi K Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2021; 69:102748.

PMID: 34471531 PMC: 8387920. DOI: 10.1016/j.amsu.2021.102748.

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