Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Sep;21(3):515-518.
doi: 10.1007/s42000-022-00382-x. Epub 2022 Jul 8.

Assessment of DHEAS, cortisol, and DHEAS/cortisol ratio in patients with COVID-19: a pilot study

Sojit Tomo  1 , Mithu Banerjee  2 , Sreenivasulu Karli  1 , Purvi Purohit  1 , Prasenjit Mitra  1 , Praveen Sharma  1 , M K Garg  3 , Bharat Kumar  3
Affiliations

Assessment of DHEAS, cortisol, and DHEAS/cortisol ratio in patients with COVID-19: a pilot study

Sojit Tomo et al. Hormones (Athens). 2022 Sep.

Abstract

Purpose: Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) is observed to be decreased in sepsis and inflammatory conditions. In the present study, we assessed the levels of DHEAS and cortisol and the DHEAS/cortisol ratio and their association with inflammatory markers in patients with COVID-19.

Methods: The study recruited 76 RT-PCR-positive COVID-19-positive patients and 79 healthy controls. The blood samples were collected and were analyzed for cortisol and DHEAS.

Results: We observed decreased levels of DHEAS and DHEAS/cortisol ratio and increased levels of cortisol in cases when compared with controls. DHEAS and DHEAS/cortisol ratio showed a decreasing trend with the increase in disease severity.

Conclusion: The present study is the first of its kind comparing DHEAS levels and DHEAS/cortisol ratio in COVID-19 patients and control subjects. DHEAS, with its inhibitory effect on IL6 and activation of Tregs, may play a crucial role in immune defense mechanisms against COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19; Cortisol; DHEA; DHEAS.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Box plots of gender-wise serum levels of cortisol, DHEAS, and DHEAS/cortisol ratio in cases and controls. * indicates p value < 0.05
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

  • Cortisol and DHEAS in COVID-19.
    Yavropoulou MP, Sfikakis PP. Yavropoulou MP, et al. Hormones (Athens). 2023 Mar;22(1):13-14. doi: 10.1007/s42000-022-00417-3. Epub 2022 Nov 14. Hormones (Athens). 2023. PMID: 36374475 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

References

    1. Tsai MH, Huang HC, Peng YS, Chen YC, Tian YC, Yang CW, Lien JM, Fang JT, Wu CS, Hsieh SY, Lee FY. Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate/cortisol ratio in cirrhotic patients with septic shock: another sign of hepatoadrenal syndrome? Crit Care. 2017;21(1):214. doi: 10.1186/s13054-017-1768-0. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Marx C, Petros S, Bornstein SR, Weise M, Wendt M, Menschikowski M, Engelmann L, Höffken G. Adrenocortical hormones in survivors and nonsurvivors of severe sepsis: diverse time course of dehydroepiandrosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate, and cortisol. Crit Care Med. 2003;31(5):1382–1388. doi: 10.1097/01.CCM.0000063282.83188.3D. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Fernández RDV, Díaz A, Bongiovanni B, Gallucci G, Bértola D, Gardeñez W, Lioi S, Bertolin Y, Galliano R, Bay ML, Bottasso O, D'Attilio L. Evidence for a more disrupted immune-endocrine relation and cortisol immunologic influences in the context of tuberculosis and type 2 diabetes comorbidity. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2020;11:126. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2020.00126. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Clinical management protocol: COVID-19. Ministry of health & family welfare, government of India directorate general of health services (EMR division), Available online at: https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/ClinicalManagementProtocolforCOVID19.pdf (accessed February 14, 2022)
    1. Liu F, Li L, Xu M, Wu J, Luo D, Zhu Y, Li B, Song X, Zhou X. Prognostic value of interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, and procalcitonin in patients with COVID-19. J Clin Virol. 2020;127:104370. doi: 10.1016/j.jcv.2020.104370. - DOI - PMC - PubMed