Table 1.
Comparison of group characteristics, metabolic variables, and glucocorticoid measures between Holocaust survivors and comparison subjects.
| Comparison subjects (n=22) | Holocaust survivors (n=51) | ANCOVA2 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| mean ± SE1 | mean ± SE | F (df) p | |
| I. Group characteristics | |||
| Age (years) | 71.1 ± 1.6 | 73.1 ± 1.0 | 1.06 (1,71) ns |
| Age, December 31, 1939 | 11.6 ± 6.8 | 11.8 ± 6.3 | .006 (1,71) ns |
| Age, trauma exposure (earliest specified) | 34.6 ± 22.2 | 14.4 ± 7.63 | 33.7 (1,71) <.0005 |
| Height (cm) | 170.4 ± 1.5 | 163.8 ± 1.0 | 14.95 (1,70) <.0005 |
| Weight (kg) | 73.0 ± 2.5 | 70.7 ± 1.7 | .54 ± (1,70) ns |
| BMI (kb/m2) | 25.0 ± .8 | 26.3 ± .6 | 1.63 (1,71) ns |
| Cardiometabolic manifestations score4 | 1.11 ± .23 | 1.07 ±.15 | .02 (1,69) ns |
| Mississippi Scale score | 63.4 ± 12.2 | 98.4 ± 24.8 | 39.4 (1,71) <.0005 |
| Urine volume | 1790.3 ± 166 | 1471 ± 106.9 | 2.49 (1,68) ns |
| RIA - Cortisol (μg/day) | 51.2 ± 3.8 | 37.6 ± 2.4 | 8.75 (1,67) .004 |
| II. Glucocorticoids /metabolites5 | |||
| Total glucocorticoids [GCMS]6 | 12086 ± 1060 | 6514 ± 587 | 9.15 (1,55) .0047 |
| - F (cortisol) | 100.6 ± 9.7 | 100.2 ± 6.3 | .00 (1,68) ns |
| - E (cortisone) | 142.7 ± 11.6 | 106.6±7.5 | 6.52 (1,68) .013 |
| - α-THF (5α-tetrahydrocortisol) | 5157 ± 616 | 2528 ± 318 | 12.64 (1,65) .001 |
| - β-THF (5β-tetrahydrocortisol) | 1952 ± 362 | 1561 ± 215 | .81 (1,57) ns |
| - THE (tetrahydrocortisone) | 2848 ± 364 | 1926 ±220 | 4.46 (1,63) .039 |
| III. Enzyme indices8 | |||
| - F/ α-THF (5α-reductase) | .035 ± .023 | .106 ± .014 | 6.57 (1,65) .013 |
| - F/ β-THF (5β-reductase) | .073 ± .009 | .080 ± .005 | .47 (1,57) ns |
| - F/E (11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 2) | .777 ± .077 | 1.045 ± .049 | .831 (1,68) .005 |
Adjusted mean ± standard error of the mean, ns: p>.05
ANCOVA, for height, weight, controlling for gender; for cardiometabolic manifestations score, controlling for age, gender; for urine volume, and all glucocorticoid variables, controlling for age, gender, BMI
The discrepancy between this age and age as of December 31, 1939 is primarily accounted for by one Survivor who was only 3.5 years old at the end of World War II, and was gang raped at age 41.
Described in text; equal to the sum of one point each for atherosclerotic heart disease and/or dyslipidemia, hypertension, diabetes, BMI ≥ 26.
All values represent urinary steroids in μg/24hr.
Total glucocorticoids = F + E + α-THF + β-THF + THE.
Bold face indicates significance by Bonferroni criterion (6 comparisons for glucocorticoids/metabolites; 3 comparisons for enzyme indices).
Increased values for listed enzyme indices indicate reduced activities.