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Endocrine Abstracts (2022) 81 P703 | DOI: 10.1530/endoabs.81.P703

1Swiss Paraplegic Research, Spinal Cord Injury Biobanking and Translational Medicince, Nottwil, Switzerland; 2Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM), Bern, Switzerland; 3Graduate School for Health Sciences, Bern, Switzerland; 4Swiss Paraplegic Research, Nottwil, Switzerland; 5Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, Bern, Switzerland; 6Swiss Paraplegic Centre, Nottwil, Switzerland; 7Clinique romande de réadaptation, Sion, Switzerland; 8REHAB Basel, Basel, Switzerland


Background: Individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) are in increased risk of hypothalamic−pituitary−gonadal axis disruption. We aimed to explore changes in androgen hormones during first impatient rehabilitation and identify factors associated with their levels among participants from the Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort (SwiSCI) cohort.

Methods: We measured sex hormones using Enyzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay in persons with a newly aquired SCI that participated in the SwiSCI study. We used univariable linear regression analysis to explore the association between clinical and injury characteristics and androgen hormones (total testosterone (TT), free testosterone (FT), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS))) at baseline. Longitudinal changes were explored using linear mixed models adjusted for age, body anthropometrics, injury characteristics, and medication use. Analyses were stratified by sex.

Results: We analyzed paired samples of 86 individuals with SCI [70 males (81%), 16 females (19%)] with median age of 51 years (IQR 36-64) and median rehabilitation duration of 5.6 months (IQR 4.2-7.5). At baseline, increasing age and longer time since injury in men were associated with lower FT, SHBG, DHEA, and DHEAS and higher SHBG respectively. Increased upper extremity spasticity was linked with lower TT, DHEA and DHEAs and higher handgrip strength was associated with higher FT. TT in males in the beginning of the rehabilitation was in low normal range. At the end of rehabilitation, TT and DHEAS increased in males. We found no differences in hormone levels among individuals with different injury etiology, body composition, nor total spinal cord independence measure (SCIM). Due to limited number of women, female-specific findings should be interpreted with caution (Table 1).

Conclusions: We observed gradual increase in androgen hormones over a period of rehabilitation which was linked with improved functional recovery. Future studies to explore whether testosterone and DHEA supplementation may improve neurological and functional recovery as well as metabolic parameters during first inpatient rehabilitation.

Volume 81

European Congress of Endocrinology 2022

Milan, Italy
21 May 2022 - 24 May 2022

European Society of Endocrinology 

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