[Sex and age differences in the peripheral blood aldosterone levels]

Age-associated and sexual differences in the adrenocortical glomerular zone function of normal subjects were studied by radioimmunoassay. The blood plasma aldosterone content (13.46 +/- 1.18 ng%) of adult females (27) was 20.7% higher than that of the males (22) of the same age (11.15 +/- 0.56 ng%). An increase in the blood aldosterone content in menopause appears to be due to the hyperestrogenic phase (the first menopausal phase in women) and estrogen-stimulated aldosterone synthesis. Sexual differences in aldosterone secretion disappear with age. Aldosterone content is significantly lower in males and females, age over 80 years, than that in younger subjects, and sexual differences are absent.