Estimating age-specific trends in circulating testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin in males and females across the lifespan. 2016

David J Handelsman, and Ken Sikaris, and Lam P Ly
Andrology Department, Concord Hospital, NSW, Australia ANZAC Research Institute, University of Sydney, Concord Hospital, NSW, Australia djh@anzac.edu.au.

BACKGROUND Age-specific trends of serum testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin across the full lifespan have not been reported. METHODS We deduced age-specific trends in serum testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin in males and females between ages 10 and 90 from a large sample of consecutive results from a single large pathology laboratory. Coded results of 110,712 consecutive blood samples requesting serum testosterone over seven years (2007-2013) comprising blood testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin and calculated free testosterone together with gender and age were analysed create smoothed age-specific centiles (2.5%, 5%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 95%, 97.5%) for males and females. RESULTS These identified the pubertal increases in serum testosterone in males peaking at 20 years of age and remaining stable thereafter until the eighth decade. In females, circulating testosterone peaked in late adolescence and declined gradually over the next two decades but remained stable across menopause and beyond. After early childhood, serum sex hormone-binding globulin declines to a nadir in males at the age of 20 years and remains stable till the sixth decade with a gradual, progressive rise thereafter. In females, the sex hormone-binding globulin nadir is reached earlier with levels rising gradually and progressively with age thereafter and accelerating after the age of 70 years. Females also exhibit a second sex hormone-binding globulin peak during reproductive ages reflected only in upper centiles due to effects of pregnancy and oral contraceptive use in a significant minority of females. CONCLUSIONS This large sample of clinical data provides a comprehensive profile of androgen status across the lifespan from early adolescence to late old age.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D008875 Middle Aged An adult aged 45 - 64 years. Middle Age
D002648 Child A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL. Children
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293 Adolescent A person 13 to 18 years of age. Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths
D000328 Adult A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available. Adults
D000367 Age Factors Age as a constituent element or influence contributing to the production of a result. It may be applicable to the cause or the effect of a circumstance. It is used with human or animal concepts but should be differentiated from AGING, a physiological process, and TIME FACTORS which refers only to the passage of time. Age Reporting,Age Factor,Factor, Age,Factors, Age
D000368 Aged A person 65 years of age or older. For a person older than 79 years, AGED, 80 AND OVER is available. Elderly
D000369 Aged, 80 and over Persons 80 years of age and older. Oldest Old

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