Salivary versus Serum Testosterone Levels in Boys with Constitutional Delay of Growth and Puberty

Abstract

BackgroundSalivary testosterone (Sal-T) has been established as a noninvasive biomarker in the diagnosis of androgen deficiency in men. However, available data on its utility in adolescent boys with constitutional delay of growth and puberty (CDGP) are not conclusive. Our study was designed to compare salivary versus serum measurements of free testosterone (FT) from the samples collected simultaneously and correlated them with the clinical parameters in boys with CDGP.Patients and methodsThe study enrolled 25 adolescent boys with CDGP and 20 healthy controls matched for age and sex. Weight, height, BMI, testicular volume, bone age, serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH) were assessed. Simultaneous morning saliva and serum samples were obtained for FT measurements by radioimmunoassay and Sal-T by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique.ResultsAdolescent boys with CDGP had significantly lower Sal-T and serum free-T than normal controls (P<0.001). Sal-T positively correlated with BMI, bone age, testicular volume, serum FSH, LH, and FT. With multiple regression analysis BMI, FSH, LH, and serum FT remained independently correlated with Sal-T. Using the receiver operating characteristic curve, Sal-T was found to be more sensitive than serum FT (76 vs. 69%) in the clinical assessment of boys with CDGP.ConclusionOur data shows that Sal-T strongly correlates with FT and provides a sensitive, simple, noninvasive, and diagnostic approach for androgen status in adolescent boys with CDGP.