Journal
JOURNAL OF STEROID BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
Volume 145, Issue -, Pages 248-253Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2014.03.006
Keywords
Dehydroepiandrosterone; Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate; Mortality
Funding
- Swedish Research Council
- Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research
- Avtal om Lakarutbildning och Forskning research grant in Gothenburg
- Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation
- Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg Foundation
- Lundberg Foundation
- Torsten and Ragnar Soderbergis Foundation
- Petrus and Augusta Hedlunds Foundation
- AFA Insurance
- Novo Nordisk Foundation
- Novo Nordisk Fonden [NNF14OC0009883, NNF14OC0010513, NNF13OC0004839, NNF13OC0005785] Funding Source: researchfish
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Although very little is known about the importance of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and DHEA sulfate (DHEA-S) in human physiology and pathophysiology, emerging observations imply pivotal roles of DHEA/-S. One such observation is the association between serum DHEA/-S levels and mortality risk. In this review, we focus on the literature addressing DHEA/-S and mortality with the aim to describe and discuss patterns and potential underlying mechanisms. Although the literature reports somewhat inconsistent results, we conclude that several larger population-based studies support an association between low DHEA/-S and risk of death, at least in elderly men. In women, the association may not be present; alternatively, there may be a U-shaped association. In men, most available evidence suggests an association with cardiovascular (CV) mortality rather than cancer mortality. Further, there are biologically plausible mechanisms for an effect of DHEA/-S on the development of CV disease. On the other hand, there is also strong evidence supporting that any disease may lower DHEA/-S. Thus, the cause-effect relation of this association is less clear. Future studies may employ a mendelian randomization approach using genetic determinants of DHEA-S levels as predictors of clinical outcomes, to delineate the true nature of the association between DHEA/-S and mortality. (c) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available