Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Hirsutism laboratory findings
Introduction
Overview
Overview
Laboratory tests that should be done in hirsutism include testosterone level, DHEAS, and 24-hour cortisol level.
Laboratory Finding
Laboratory Finding
Testosterone
- Serum testosterone may be normal to increased in case of PCOS and CAH but would be definitely raised (>200 ng/ml) in case of malignant tumor of the adrenal or ovary.[1]
DHEAS
- Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS): Raised DHEAS (>700 μg/dl) always indicates an adrenal cause, benign or malignant.
17-Hydroxyprogesterone
- 17 Hydroxy progesterone: Levels less than 200 ng/dl excludes CAH. Mildly increased levels between 300 and 1,000 ng/dl require an ACTH stimulation test. Cosyntropin (synthetic ACTH), 250 μg, is administered intravenously, and levels of 17-hydroxyprogesterone are measured before and one hour after the injection. Post-stimulation values (>1,000 ng/dl) constitute a positive test.[1]
24-hour urinary cortisol
- Twenty four hour urine free cortisol should be measured in women with signs and symptoms of Cushing’s syndrome.
LH/FSH ratio
Serum TSH
- Serum TSH and Prolactin: Hypothyroidism and hyperprolactinemia can lead to hirsutism.[3]
References
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lin-Su K, Nimkarn S, New MI (2008). “Congenital adrenal hyperplasia in adolescents: diagnosis and management”. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 1135: 95–8. doi:10.1196/annals.1429.021. PMID 18574213.
- ↑ Chang RJ, Katz SE (1999). “Diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome”. Endocrinol. Metab. Clin. North Am. 28 (2): 397–408, vii. PMID 10352925.
- ↑ Schmidt JB, Lindmaier A, Spona J (1991). “[Hyperprolactinemia and hypophyseal hypothyroidism as cofactors in hirsutism and androgen-induced alopecia in women]”. Hautarzt (in German). 42 (3): 168–72. PMID 1905280.
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1];Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Rasam Hajiannasab M.D.[2], Ahmed Younes M.B.B.CH [3]