논문 상세보기
pp.57-66
한국 남성의 연령 증가에 따른 혈중 luteinizing hormone(LH), testosterone(T), 그리고 타액 T 수준 변화를 조사하였다. 혈중LH 수준은 40대까지 유의한 변화를 보이지 않았으나(20s, ; 30s, ; and 40s, ), 50대 이상에서 유의하게 증가하였다(50s, and 60s, ). 또한, 혈중 T 수준도 40대까지는 변화하지 않았으나(20s, , 30s, , 40s, ng/mL), 50대 이후 유의하게 감소하였다(
Changes in luteinizing hormone (LH), serum testosterone (T), and salivary T levels with age were examined in Korean men. Serum was obtained from 167 Korean men of different ages (), and the serum LH and T levels were measured. Saliva samples were also obtained, and the salivary T level was determined. The LH levels did not change considerably until 40 y of age (20s, ; 30s, ; and 40s, ) but increased significantly around 50 y (50s, and 60s, ). Further, the serum T levels also did not change until 40 y of age (20s, , 30s, , 40s, ) but decreased significantly at 50 y (50s, ; 60s, ). The salivary T levels also showed small changes until the age of 40 y (, ) but decreased significantly at 50 y (). Thus, the relative ratio of salivary T to serum T levels did not change significantly in all the ages examined (). Linear regression analysis predicted that the LH levels increased 1.5%/y while the serum and salivary T levels decreased 1%/y and 0.8%/y, respectively. The serum T/LH ratio did not change considerably until the age of 40 y (, ) but decreased significantly () at 50 y. Age-related changes in the salivary T/LH ratio were very similar to those in the serum T/LH ratio. These results demonstrated that LH and T levels in serum or saliva did not change considerably until 40 y of age; instead, in Korean men, from 50 y of age, the LH level increased, while the T level decreased. This suggests that primary testicular failure that occurred due to aging (approximately 50 y) and caused this phenomenon. The present study also shows that the salivary T level can be an indicator of the free T level in serum although the salivary T level correlates weakly with the total T level in serum (r=0.53). Thus, information regarding salivary T levels may be useful for studying the age-related changes occurring in male testicular physiology.
