Influence of Body Size and of Sex on Urinary Corticoid Excretion in a Group of Normal Young Males and Females

Abstract

The influence of body size and of sex on urinary corticoid excretion has been studied in 2 homogeneous groups consisting of 27 male and 19 female students, respectively. The significant difference in hormone excretion which existed between these 2 groups of subjects disappeared when the hormonologic data were recalculated per unit of body weight, height or surface. Differences in body weight explained most of this sex difference; it is therefore suggested that data concerning urinary corticosteroid excretion be expressed not in mg/24 hr but in mg/100 kg of body weight per 24 hr. For the entire group, positive and significant correlation coefficients were found among the 3 anthropometric and 4 hormonologic variables. When considering the 2 groups separately, the correlation between adrenal cortical function, on the one hand, and body weight, height and body surface area, on the other, was much more pronounced in the female than in the male group.