Serum insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and dehydroepiandrosterone- sulphate (DHEA-S) in a community dwelling elderly population

Abstract

Previous studies have reported that both serum insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and dehydroepiandrosterone-sulphate (DHEA-S) decline with ageing, particularly in chronically institutionalized elderly men, with an association with disease morbidity. We measured serum IGF-I and DHEA-S in two groups of ambulatory community dwelling ethnic Chinese of ages 60-99 years: a 'healthy' group of men and women (n=64) without any known illness and an 'unhealthy' group (n=53), still living in the community but with various chronic illnesses. Healthy young ethnic Chinese acted as controls. Serum IGF- II, IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) and prostate specific antigen (PSA) were also measured. Mean serum IGF-I, DHEA-S, IGF-II and IGFBP-3 were all lower in the elderly compared to the younger controls (P