17-Ketosteroids in the urine
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Reference values (norm) of 17-Ketosteroid in urine:
- children younger than 5 years - 0-2 mg / day, 15-16 years - 3-13 mg / day;
- women 20-40 years - 6-14 mg / day.
- men 20-40 years - 10-25 mg / day.
After 40 years, there is a constant decrease in excretion of 17-ketosteroids.
Urine ketosteroids are metabolites of androgens secreted by the mesh cortex of the adrenal cortex and the sex glands. Only a small fraction of the 17-ketosteroid urine is derived from the precursors of glucocorticosteroids (approximately 10-15%). The determination of 17-ketosteroids in urine is necessary to assess the overall functional activity of the adrenal cortex.
Decreased excretion of 17-Ketosteroid in the urine is often (but not always) observed in chronic adrenocortical insufficiency; an increase in the content of 17-Ketosteroid in daily urine - with androsterom, Illness and Cushing's syndrome and congenital hyperplasia of the adrenal cortex.
To diagnose congenital adrenal hyperplasia, it is important to identify a combination of increased excretion of 17-ketosteroids and concentration of ACTH in the blood with a low or lower concentration in the blood of cortisol and 17-ACS in daily urine. The role of 17-ketosteroids in diagnosis is low, as the criteria for evaluating dexamethasone tests are developed only for 17-OXC of 24-hour urine and cortisol. A dynamic study of 17-ketosteroids can not be recommended for evaluating the effectiveness of drug treatment of the Itenko-Cushing disease, since many drugs used for this purpose selectively suppress the synthesis of glucocorticosteroids without affecting the amount of androgen secretion.
Corticoestromes - tumors of the adrenal cortex, producing a large number of estrogens - cause feminization syndrome. These very rare tumors are in most cases represented by carcinomas, less often by adenomas. Plasma of blood and urine sharply increased the content of estrogens (estradiol), urine excreted a large number of 17-Ketosteroid.
Diseases and conditions in which the concentration of 17-Ketosteroid in the urine varies
Increase in concentration |
Reduction in concentration |
Isenko-Cushing syndrome Adrenogenital syndrome Androgen-producing tumors of the adrenal cortex Virilizing tumors of the adrenal cortex Testicular tumors Stein-Levental Syndrome Adenoma and adrenal cancer Syndrome of ectopic production of ACTH The use of anabolic steroids, phenothiazine derivatives, penicillin, digitalis derivatives, spironolactone, corticotropin, gonadotropins, cephalosporins, testosterone |
Addison's disease Pituitary hypofunction Damage to the liver parenchyma Hypopituitarism Hypothyroidism Nephrosis Cachexia The use of reserpine, benzodiazepines, dexamethasone, estrogens, oral contraceptives, glucocorticosteroids |