Dehydroepiandrosterone and Similar Substances in Urine of Premature Infants.

Abstract

When dehydroepiandrosterone (DHA) is heated to 55[degree] for 12 min, in a 4:1 mixture of alcohol and conc. H2SO4, a blue color is produced. If this color occurs when neutral urinary steroids are treated in a like manner, it is considered diagnostic of an adrenorcortical tumor. The urine of 18 premature infants, all presumably free from adrenal abnormalities, was studied in this manner. Nine of them had at least one positive test. The test, when positive, seemed to be so in a random manner, as specimens from the same child on different days, or at different times during the same day would be either positive or negative. In 66 examinations, the test was positive 24 times. In 15 patients under one yr, who were not premature, the test was positive twice. It is concluded that premature infants excrete steroids in a manner that is qualitatively different from older children, and that this test for an adrenal tumor must be used with caution in the younger age groups.