Salivary testosterone in postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis

Objective. To study changes in testosterone concentrations in saliva and total testosterone, free testosterone, and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) concentrations in serum in 2 groups of postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), one group with glucocorticoid treatment and the other without it. Methods. The above mentioned hormonal levels were measured in 20 postmenopausal women with RA undergoing glucocorticoid treatment, in 24 postmenopausal women with RA without treatment, and in 36 postmenopausal women without RA. Results. We observed significantly lower levels of total testosterone in serum, SHBG in serum, testosterone in saliva, and the free testosterone index in the group of patients with RA undergoing glucocorticoid treatment compared to the group without treatment. We did not observe changes in free testosterone concentrations in serum of the groups studied, which is believed due to its lower specificity. Conclusion. Testosterone in saliva is a useful indicator for monitoring androgenic status in women with RA.