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Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases logoLink to Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
. 1988 Jan;47(1):65–68. doi: 10.1136/ard.47.1.65

Low free testosterone levels in rheumatoid arthritis.

T D Spector 1, L A Perry 1, G Tubb 1, A J Silman 1, E C Huskisson 1
PMCID: PMC1003446  PMID: 3345107

Abstract

The androgen status of 25 male patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was assessed and compared with that of age matched controls with osteoarthritis (OA). Significantly reduced levels of serum free testosterone were found in the RA group. Within that group free testosterone was unrelated to all indices of disease activity measured, though it was strongly related to latex positivity. These results support the hypothesis that male sex hormones may have a protective role in RA, though prospective studies would be necessary to determine whether the relation was one of cause or effect.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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