Sex- and age-specific reference intervals of 16 steroid metabolites quantified simultaneously by LC-MS/MS in sera from 2458 healthy subjects aged 0 to 77 years.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional normative reference study evaluating healthy human serum samples without longitudinal follow-up.
PubMed 38977173 · doi:10.1016/j.cca.2024.119852
What was done
An isotope-diluted LC-MS/MS method was developed for simultaneous quantification of 16 steroid hormones. Serum samples from cross-sectional cohorts of healthy infants, children, adolescents, and adults aged 0.17 months to 77 years (n = 2458) were analyzed to model fluctuations across minipuberty, puberty, adulthood, and the menopausal transition and establish sex- and age-specific reference intervals.
What was found
The assay quantified progesterone, 17-hydroxypregnenolone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, androstenedione, testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, 11-deoxycorticosterone, corticosterone, 11-deoxycortisol, cortisol, and cortisone in ≥90% of samples. Estrone sulfate, aldosterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone were quantified in 77%, 75%, and 60% of samples, respectively. 21-deoxycortisol was detectable in only 2.5% of samples from healthy subjects.
Why it matters
Simultaneous profiling of 16 steroid metabolites by LC-MS/MS establishes continuous reference intervals across the entire human lifespan, providing a standardized tool to improve clinical endocrine assessment.
Limits
The design is cross-sectional rather than longitudinal. Specific cutoffs, numeric intervals, and assay limits of quantification are not reported in the abstract. Certain metabolites had lower detectability in healthy sera (e.g., DHEA at 60% and 21-deoxycortisol at 2.5%), and ethnic or geographic demographics of the cohort are not specified.
Cited by
- supports Males have between 10 and 80 times more testosterone than females.