[Sex and gonadotropic hormones in the blood in joint diseases in miners]

Abstract

Coal miners suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA), deforming osteoarthrosis (OA) and gouty arthritis (GA) were found to develop hypotestosteronemia in a study on the condition of the hypophysis-and-gonads system, this being observed even in essentially healthy individuals. With all arthronoses, androgen levels get depressed, particularly so in the presence of increased activity of lutropin. In RA examenees blood concentration of estradiol tends to increase, while OA and GA miners demonstrate reduced content of estrogen, with manifest hyperprogesteronemia being common. Hormonal dysbalance correlates with gravity of the course of the inflammatory-degenerative processes in the locomotor system.