Salivary free testosterone in hirsutism

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Clinical Chemistry
• Androgen Metabolism

Background:

• Hirsutism diagnosis relies on assessing androgen levels.
• Current serum androgen assays have limitations in sensitivity and specificity.
• Salivary testosterone measurement offers a non-invasive alternative for androgen assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a sensitive, specific, and accurate direct radioimmunoassay for human salivary testosterone.
• To evaluate the diagnostic utility of salivary testosterone in hirsutism compared to serum androgen assays.

Main Methods:

• Development and validation of a direct radioimmunoassay for salivary testosterone.
• Analysis of salivary testosterone (Sa-T) and serum androgens (serum testosterone (S-T), dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA-S), androstenedione) in 50 hirsute patients.
• Comparison of Sa-T results with serum androgen levels and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) in diagnosing hirsutism.

Main Results:

• A direct radioimmunoassay for salivary testosterone was successfully developed.
• Salivary testosterone levels were elevated in 34 out of 50 hirsute patients.
• Salivary testosterone results demonstrated greater diagnostic utility in hirsutism than serum testosterone, DHEA-S, androstenedione, or SHBG levels.

Conclusions:

• Direct radioimmunoassay of salivary testosterone is a sensitive, specific, and accurate method for assessing androgen levels.
• Salivary testosterone measurement is a valuable and superior diagnostic tool for hirsutism compared to conventional serum androgen assays.
• This non-invasive method provides enhanced diagnostic accuracy for hirsutism, aiding in clinical management.