Estimation of urinary unconjugated androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone, testosterone, cortisol, aldosterone and 18-hydroxycorticosterone as a potential tool for assessing adrenal status.

A method is described for the simultaneous assay of non-conjugated androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone, testosterone, cortisol, aldosterone and 18-hydroxycorticosterone in urine. The method involves solid-phase extraction, automatic high performance liquid chromatography and subsequent radioimmunological quantitation of the individual steroids. Excretion rates of these urinary free steroids were determined in normal males and females. There were no significant sex differences in excretion rates, although both urinary free testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone were distinctly lower in females than in males. Representative measurements of the excretion rates of patients with Cushing's disease, Addison's disease, ectopic corticotropin syndrome and hirsutism were made. The present method has been shown to be well suited for routine purposes. Its final diagnostic significance for monitoring alterations in glucocorticoid, mineralocorticoid and androgenic activity of the adrenal cortex has yet to be explored.