Urinary steroids in the measurement of aging and of atherosclerosis

Several studies conducted by the authors' group have shown that urinary steroid measurements are a valuable aid in differentiating the normal aging process, the pronounced aging associated with increased risk to coronary heart disease, and the deviations associated with myocardial infarction. Data are presented on 428 men in the age range of 30-70 years. The study design most effective in elucidating aging and disease patterns involves selection of subjects from a wide age range. Data on persons identified as clinically normal can be used to describe physiologic aging. Once this is determined, data on persons with disease can be used to identify abnormalities of aging associated with the clinical conditions studied. This approach offers a potential method for differentiating between aging effects and disease effects. The foregoing findings led to the development of an Index of Aging in males, based on combined serum lipid and urinary steroid values. This Index may be a means of differentiating between normal aging and the deviations seen in atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction. Current studies are directed toward extending these observations.