A Biometric Study of Total Neutral 17-Ketosteroid Excretion in the Normal Adult Male1

Abstract

A simplified method of processing urine samples for 17-ketosteroid analysis has been presented. Analyses for 17-ketosteroids are reported on 56 normal adult [male] prisoners, from 20-60 yrs. old. No significant changes have been found in the mean levels of excretion with age, but the younger men have a significantly higher variance. Several non-gonadal factors correlate significantly with 17-ketosteroid excretion. . The most significant of these correlations is that with total creatinine excretion. Those prisoners convicted of violent crimes have a significantly higher 17-ketosteroid excretion than those convicted of non-violent crimes. This difference decreases with age. A group of 10 medical students had a mean excretion not significantly different from that of a comparable group of prisoners, but did have a significantly lower variance. Ten basal 24-hr. excretion and total 17-ketosteroid detns. were made on 10 medical students, and 10 on one medical student. The basal 17-ketosteroid excretion was irregularly lower and more variable, although not significantly so, than the total 17-ketosteroid excretion, and, for the group, was not significantly correlated with it. These differences are significant for the individual. The analysis of either basal specimens, or 12-hr. night urines, to estimate total 24-hr. 17-ketosteroid excretion is inaccurate and unreliable. Increasing urine volume caused a transient increase of 17-ketosteroid excretion.