Table 2.
Levels of Steroid Hormones and Their Ratios in the Various Study Groups
| Variable | Altitude | Group | Week 20 | Week 36 | P, Time | P, Altitude | P, Ancestry | P, Ancestry × Altitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progesterone, ng/mL | Low | European | 49.6 ± 13.7 | 196.8 ± 16.8 | <.001 | <.01 | NS | NS |
| Low | Andean | 44.1 ± 15.9 | 203.4 ± 17.8 | |||||
| High | European | 86.6 ± 16.9 | 200.5 ± 16.8 | |||||
| High | Andean | 66.2 ± 14.2 | 283.3 ± 14.8 | |||||
| Cortisol, ng/mL | Low | European | 142.6 ± 11.1 | 198.7 ± 13.6 | <.001 | <.001 | NS | <.05 |
| Low | Andean | 173.6 ± 12.9 | 210.5 ± 14.5 | |||||
| High | European | 212.8 ± 13.2 | 272.8 ± 13.2 | |||||
| High | Andean | 205.9 ± 11.6 | 234.0 ± 12.0 | |||||
| Androstenedione, ng/mL | Low | European | 1.7 ± 0.2 | 1.9 ± 0.2 | NS | NS | <.01 | NS |
| Low | Andean | 1.2 ± 0.2 | 1.1 ± 0.2 | |||||
| High | European | 1.4 ± 0.2 | 1.7 ± 0.2 | |||||
| High | Andean | 1.2 ± 0.2 | 1.1 ± 0.2 | |||||
| Estrone, ng/mL | Low | European | 1.8 ± 0.7 | 2.6 ± 0.8 | <.001 | <.001 | <.05 | NS |
| Low | Andean | 1.8 ± 0.8 | 5.4 ± 0.9 | |||||
| High | European | 2.8 ± 0.8 | 6.4 ± 0.8 | |||||
| High | Andean | 3.1 ± 0.7 | 7.8 ± 0.7 | |||||
| Testosterone, ng/mL | Low | European | 0.50 ± 0.05 | 0.70 ± 0.06 | <.001 | NS | NS | NS |
| Low | Andean | 0.40 ± 0.06 | 0.60 ± 0.07 | |||||
| High | European | 0.48 ± 0.06 | 0.70 ± 0.06 | |||||
| High | Andean | 0.41 ± 0.05 | 0.79 ± 0.06 | |||||
| 17β-Estradiol, ng/mL | Low | European | 8.6 ± 1.9 | 23.0 ± 2.4 | <.001 | <.001 | <.05 | <.05 |
| Low | Andean | 9.2 ± 2.2 | 23.8 ± 2.5 | |||||
| High | European | 11.4 ± 2.3 | 26.1 ± 2.3 | |||||
| High | Andean | 13.2 ± 2.0 | 38.6 ± 2.1 | |||||
| Estriol, ng/mL | Low | European | 1.5 ± 0.8 | 9.3 ± 0.9 | <.001 | <.001 | <.015 | <.05 |
| Low | Andean | 2.2 ± 0.9 | 9.6 ± 1.0 | |||||
| High | European | 3.3 ± 0.9 | 10.5 ± 0.9 | |||||
| High | Andean | 3.6 ± 0.8 | 16.9 ± 0.8 | |||||
| Reactions catalyzed by aromatase | ||||||||
| Estrone/androstenedione | Low | European | 1.2 ± 0.7 | 2.0 ± 0.9 | <.001 | <.05 | <.01 | NS |
| Low | Andean | 1.8 ± 0.9 | 6.3 ± 0.9 | |||||
| High | European | 2.2 ± 0.9 | 4.6 ± 0.9 | |||||
| High | Andean | 2.8 ± 0.7 | 6.9 ± 0.8 | |||||
| 17β−Estradiol/ Testosterone | Low | European | 19.6 ± 2.7 | 34.0 ± 3.3 | <.001 | <.01 | <.001 | NS |
| Low | Andean | 24.2 ± 3.1 | 44.1 ± 3.5 | |||||
| High | European | 26.8 ± 3.2 | 40.1 ± 3.3 | |||||
| High | Andean | 35.6 ± 2.9 | 50.0 ± 2.9 | |||||
| Reactions catalyzed by 17βHSD | ||||||||
| Testosterone/androstenedione | Low | European | 0.30 ± 0.03 | 0.43 ± 0.04 | <.001 | <.05 | <.001 | NS |
| Low | Andean | 0.34 ± 0.04 | 0.57 ± 0.04 | |||||
| High | European | 0.35 ± 0.04 | 0.49 ± 0.04 | |||||
| High | Andean | 0.36 ± 0.03 | 0.71 ± 0.04 | |||||
| 17β-Estradiol/estrone | Low | European | 8.0 ± 3.1 | 23.0 ± 3.8 | NS | <.01 | NS | NS |
| Low | Andean | 14.8 ± 3.6 | 12.2 ± 4.0 | |||||
| High | European | 4.6 ± 3.7 | 5.0 ± 3.8 | |||||
| High | Andean | 7.4 ± 3.2 | 6.7 ± 3.4 | |||||
| UA diameter, cm | Low | European | 0.50 ± 0.01 | 0.50 ± 0.02 | NS | <.001 | <.001 | <.001 |
| Low | Andean | 0.48 ± 0.01 | 0.48 ± 0.02 | |||||
| High | European | 0.56 ± 0.02 | 0.54 ± 0.01 | |||||
| High | Andean | 0.65 ± 0.01 | 0.65 ± 0.01 | |||||
| UA blood flow (unilateral), mL/min | Low | European | 328 ± 37 | 369 ± 45 | <.05 | <.001 | <.05 | <.001 |
| Low | Andean | 274 ± 44 | 346 ± 48 | |||||
| High | European | 392 ± 48 | 445 ± 47 | |||||
| High | Andean | 642 ± 58 | 805 ± 51 |
Abbreviation: NS, not significant. Values are mean ± SEM. P values are shown for the effects of time (week 20 vs week 36), altitude (low vs high), and ancestry (European vs Andean) using three-way ANOVA.