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DHEA: a hormone with multiple effects
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison 53792, USA.
Current Opinion in Obstetrics & Gynecology
|October 1, 1996
Abstract:
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and DHEA-sulfate (DHEAS) represent the major androgens secreted by the adrenal gland. Various functions including metabolic, immune, and cognitive effects have been attributed to this steroid and are reviewed here. Since the levels of DHEA correlate with general good health, and aging is associated with a decline in the secretion of this steroid, a growing interest in replacement of DHEA in elderly people has developed. The findings from recent studies of replacement of DHEA in elderly people are discussed.