BLOOD LEVELS OF SEX HORMONE IN LUPUS NEPHRITIS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO LUPUS ACTIVITY

One hundred and fifty-nine patients (140 females, 19 males) with lupus nephritis (LN) were studied. Renal biopsy was performed for each patient with fight microscopy, immunofluorescence and electronic microscopic studies. 27 normal subjects were selected as controls. Blood levels of sex hormone including follicle-stimniating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol (E2) and testosterone (T) were measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA), and some clinical, laboratory and histological parameters were collected for analysis of lupus activity. It was found that serum FSH, LH and plasma E2 of all patients were much higher than normal (P<0.01) while plasma T was much lower in female patients (P<0.01) but normal in male patients. The lupus activity was proved to be closely related to plasma E2 and T (P<0.05). There was no definite relationship between abnormal plasma E2 or T and serum IgG, C3 C4, ANA, A-dsDNA or A-Sm. The levels of sex hormones among every histological type of LN were not significantly different. It was concluded that: 1. The increment of plasma E2 is associated with lupus activity in both male and female patients. 2. The decrement of plasma T only in female patients is also related to lupus activity. 3. No relationship could be found among FSH, LH, E2 and T.