Comparative Investigations on the Effects of Androgenic Steroids on Adrenal Functions in Juvenile Asthmatic Soldiers

¹ Department of Medicine, Central Armed Forces Hospital "Oog in Al."

Several facts point to endocrine factors as probably of great importance in causing juvenile bronchial asthma. Studies of young soldiers with bronchial asthma (age 19-21 years) reveal certain phenotypic differences from healthy young men. This group showed signs of endocrine disorders with bodily retardation (well illustrated by decreased "bone-age"), feminization, negative epinephrine Thorn test, eosinophilia, marked tendency to hyperpotassemia as well as low 17 ketosteroid excretion in urine. These findings led to an endocrine-constitutional approach and the concept that bronchial asthma in the juvenile male is mainly caused by a reduced activity of the suprarenal glands. This results in a subclinical insufficiency which could be explained by some functional disorder of the diencephalic-hypophyseal centers.

Endocrine therapy with testosterone is advocated. A group of ten cases was treated with injections of testosterone propionate, another group of ten cases was treated with fluor-methyltestosterone orally. Both groups showed favorable results: pulmonary ventilation showed a marked increase; the epinephrine Thorn test and the excretion of 17 ketosteroids in the urine were normalized.