Are Steroid Hormones Dysregulated in Autistic Girls?

• Published in: Diseases Vol. 8; no. 1; p. 6
• Main Authors: Gasser, Benedikt Andreas, Kurz, Johann, Dick, Bernhard, Mohaupt, Markus Georg
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 14.03.2020; MDPI
• Subjects: 21-hydroxylase; Adrenal glands; Age; Androgens; Androstenediol; Autism; Autistic children; Cholesterol; Development and progression; Disease sex factors; Enzymes; Gas chromatography; gas chromatography-mass spectrometry; Girls; Health aspects; Hormones; Hypotheses; Mass spectroscopy; Metabolites; Pediatric research; Physiological aspects; Ratios; Risk factors; Steroid hormones; Steroids; Testosterone; Urine; Values; Switzerland; United States > US; Austria; cholesterol; gas chromatography-mass spectrometry; 21-hydroxylase
• ISSN: 2079-9721; 2079-9721
• DOI: 10.3390/diseases8010006

Evidence of altered cholesterol and steroid hormones in autism is increasing. However, as boys are more often affected, evidence mainly relates to autistic males, whereas evidence for affected autistic girls is sparse. Therefore, a comprehensive gas chromatography mass spectrometry-based steroid hormone metabolite analysis was conducted from autistic girls. Results show increased levels of several steroid hormones, especially in the class of androgens in autistic girls such as testosterone or androstenediol. The increase of the majority of steroid hormones in autistic girls is probably best explained multifactorially by a higher substrate provision in line with the previously developed cholesterol hypothesis of autism.