Test Catalog

Test Id : DHTS

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Dihydrotestosterone, Serum

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Overview

Test Catalog

Useful For
Suggests clinical disorders or settings where the test may be helpful

Monitoring patients receiving 5-alpha reductase inhibitor therapy or chemotherapy

 

Evaluating patients with possible 5-alpha reductase deficiency

Testing Algorithm
Delineates situations when tests are added to the initial order. This includes reflex and additional tests.

For more information see Steroid Pathways.

Method Name
A short description of the method used to perform the test

Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)

Portions of this test are covered by patents held by Quest Diagnostics

NY State Available
Indicates the status of NY State approval and if the test is orderable for NY State clients.

Yes

Reporting Name
Lists a shorter or abbreviated version of the Published Name for a test

Dihydrotestosterone, S

Aliases
Lists additional common names for a test, as an aid in searching

5-a-dihydrotestosterone

5-Alpha-Dihydrotestosterone

Allodihydrotestosterone

Androstanolone

DHT

Serum Dihydrotestosterone

Stanolone

Testing Algorithm
Delineates situations when tests are added to the initial order. This includes reflex and additional tests.

For more information see Steroid Pathways.

Specimen Type
Describes the specimen type validated for testing

Serum

Specimen Required
Defines the optimal specimen required to perform the test and the preferred volume to complete testing

Collection Container/Tube:

Preferred: Red top

Acceptable: Serum gel

Specimen Volume: 1 mL

Collection Instructions: Centrifuge and aliquot serum into a plastic vial.

Special Instructions
Library of PDFs including pertinent information and forms related to the test

Specimen Minimum Volume
Defines the amount of sample necessary to provide a clinically relevant result as determined by the Testing Laboratory

0.6 mL

Reject Due To
Identifies specimen types and conditions that may cause the specimen to be rejected

Gross hemolysis OK
Gross lipemia OK
Gross icterus OK

Specimen Stability Information
Provides a description of the temperatures required to transport a specimen to the performing laboratory, alternate acceptable temperatures are also included

Specimen Type Temperature Time Special Container
Serum Refrigerated (preferred) 7 days
Frozen 90 days

Useful For
Suggests clinical disorders or settings where the test may be helpful

Monitoring patients receiving 5-alpha reductase inhibitor therapy or chemotherapy

 

Evaluating patients with possible 5-alpha reductase deficiency

Testing Algorithm
Delineates situations when tests are added to the initial order. This includes reflex and additional tests.

For more information see Steroid Pathways.

Clinical Information
Discusses physiology, pathophysiology, and general clinical aspects, as they relate to a laboratory test

The principal prostatic androgen is dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Levels of DHT remain normal with aging, despite a decrease in the plasma testosterone, and are not elevated in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).(1)

 

DHT is generated by reduction of testosterone by 5-alpha reductase. Two isoenzymes of 5-alpha reductase have been discovered. Type 1 is present in most tissues in the body where 5-alpha reductase is expressed, and is the dominant form in sebaceous glands. Type 2 is the dominant isoenzyme in genital tissues, including the prostate.

 

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA; male-pattern baldness) is a hereditary and androgen-dependent progressive thinning of the scalp hair that follows a defined pattern.(2) While the genetic involvement is pronounced, but poorly understood, major advances have been achieved in understanding the principal elements of androgen metabolism that are involved. DHT may be related to baldness. High concentrations of 5-alpha reductase have been found in frontal scalp and genital skin and androgen-dependent processes are predominantly due to the binding of DHT to the androgen receptor (AR). Since the clinical success of treatment of AGA with modulators of androgen metabolism or hair growth promoters is limited, sustained microscopic follicular inflammation with connective tissue remodeling, eventually resulting in permanent hair loss, is considered a possible cofactor in the complex etiology of AGA.

 

Currently available AGA treatment modalities with proven efficacy are oral finasteride, a competitive inhibitor of 5-alpha reductase type 2, and topical minoxidil, an adenosine triphosphate-sensitive potassium channel opener that has been reported to stimulate the production of vascular endothelial growth factor in cultured dermal papilla cells.

 

Currently, many patients with prostate disease receive treatment with a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor such as finasteride (Proscar) to diminish conversion of DHT from testosterone.

 

For more information see Steroid Pathways.

Reference Values
Describes reference intervals and additional information for interpretation of test results. May include intervals based on age and sex when appropriate. Intervals are Mayo-derived, unless otherwise designated. If an interpretive report is provided, the reference value field will state this.

Males

Cord blood: < or =100 pg/mL

< or =6 months: < or =1,200 pg/mL

Tanner Stages 

Mean

Age

Reference range (pg/mL)

Stage I (>6 months and prepubertal)

7.1 years

< or =50

Stage II

12.1 years

< or =200

Stage III

13.6 years

80-330

Stage IV

15.1 years

220-520

Stage V

18 years

240-650

>19 years: 112-955 pg/mL

 

Females

Cord blood: < or =50 pg/mL

< or =6 months: < or =1,200 pg/mL

Tanner Stages 

Mean

Age

Reference range (pg/mL)

Stage I (>6 months and prepubertal)

7.1 years

< or =50

Stage II

10.5 years

< or =300

Stage III

11.6 years

< or =300

Stage IV

12.3 years

< or =300

Stage V

14.5 years

< or =300

20-55 years: < or =300 pg/mL

>55 years: < or =128 pg/mL

 

1. Pang S, Levine LS, Chow D, et al: Dihydrotestosterone and its relationship to testosterone in infancy and childhood. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1979;48:821-826

2. Stanczyk FZ: Diagnosis of hyperandrogenism: biochemical criteria. Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab 2006;20(2):177-191

Interpretation
Provides information to assist in interpretation of the test results

Patients taking 5-alpha reductase inhibitor have decreased dihydrotestosterone (DHT) serum levels.

 

Patients with genetic 5-alpha reductase deficiency (a rare disease) also have reduced DHT serum levels.

 

DHT should serve as the primary marker of peripheral androgen production. However, because it is metabolized rapidly and has a very high affinity for sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), DHT does not reflect peripheral androgen action. Instead, its distal metabolite, 3-alpha, 17-beta-androstanediol glucuronide, serves as a better marker of peripheral androgen action.

 

For more information see Steroid Pathways.

Cautions
Discusses conditions that may cause diagnostic confusion, including improper specimen collection and handling, inappropriate test selection, and interfering substances

Patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or prostatic cancer may not have elevated dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels even though growth of the prostate gland may be stimulated by DHT.

Clinical Reference
Recommendations for in-depth reading of a clinical nature

1. Bartsch G, Rittmaster RS, Klocker H: Dihydrotestosterone and the concept of 5 alpha-reductase inhibition in human benign prostatic hyperplasia. World J Urol 2002;19(6):413-425

2. Trueb RM: Molecular mechanisms of androgenetic alopecia. Exp Gerontol 2002;37(8-9):981-990

3. Singh SM, Gauthier S, Labrie F: Androgen receptor antagonists (antiandrogens): structure-activity relationships. Curr Med Chem 2000;7(2):211-247

4. Rhodes L, Harper J, Uno H, et al: The effects of finasteride (Proscar) on hair growth, hair cycle stage, and serum testosterone and dihydrotestosterone in adult male and female stumptail macaques (Macaca arctoides). J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1994;79:991-996

5. Gustafsson O, Norming U, Gustafsson S, et al: Dihydrotestosterone and testosterone levels in men screened for prostate cancer: a study of a randomized population. Br J Urol 1996;77:433-440

6. van der Veen A, van Faassen M, de Jong WHA, et al: Development and validation of a LC-MS/MS method for the establishment of reference intervals and biological variation for five plasma steroid hormones. Clin Biochem. 2019 Jun;68:15-23. doi: 10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2019.03.013

Method Description
Describes how the test is performed and provides a method-specific reference

Deuterated stable isotope of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is added to a 0.5-mL serum sample as internal standard. The DHT and internal standard are extracted from the sample by solid phase extraction. This is followed by conventional liquid chromatography on a multiplexed LC System and analysis on a tandem mass spectrometer equipped with an electrospray ionizer.(Lagerstedt SA, O'Kane DJ, Singh RJ: Measurement of plasma free metanephrine and normetanephrine by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for diagnosis of pheochromocytoma. Clin Chem 2004;50[3]:603-611)

PDF Report
Indicates whether the report includes an additional document with charts, images or other enriched information

No

Day(s) Performed
Outlines the days the test is performed. This field reflects the day that the sample must be in the testing laboratory to begin the testing process and includes any specimen preparation and processing time before the test is performed. Some tests are listed as continuously performed, which means that assays are performed multiple times during the day.

Monday, Wednesday, Friday

Report Available
The interval of time (receipt of sample at Mayo Clinic Laboratories to results available) taking into account standard setup days and weekends. The first day is the time that it typically takes for a result to be available. The last day is the time it might take, accounting for any necessary repeated testing.

2 to 8 days

Specimen Retention Time
Outlines the length of time after testing that a specimen is kept in the laboratory before it is discarded

2 weeks

Performing Laboratory Location
Indicates the location of the laboratory that performs the test

Rochester

Fees
Several factors determine the fee charged to perform a test. Contact your U.S. or International Regional Manager for information about establishing a fee schedule or to learn more about resources to optimize test selection.

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  • Clients without access to Test Prices can contact Customer Service 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
  • Prospective clients should contact their account representative. For assistance, contact Customer Service.

Test Classification
Provides information regarding the medical device classification for laboratory test kits and reagents. Tests may be classified as cleared or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and used per manufacturer instructions, or as products that do not undergo full FDA review and approval, and are then labeled as an Analyte Specific Reagent (ASR) product.

This test was developed and its performance characteristics determined by Mayo Clinic in a manner consistent with CLIA requirements. It has not been cleared or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

CPT Code Information
Provides guidance in determining the appropriate Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code(s) information for each test or profile. The listed CPT codes reflect Mayo Clinic Laboratories interpretation of CPT coding requirements. It is the responsibility of each laboratory to determine correct CPT codes to use for billing.

CPT codes are provided by the performing laboratory.

82642

G0480 (if appropriate)

LOINC® Information
Provides guidance in determining the Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC) values for the order and results codes of this test. LOINC values are provided by the performing laboratory.

Test Id Test Order Name Order LOINC Value
DHTS Dihydrotestosterone, S 1848-1
Result Id Test Result Name Result LOINC Value
Applies only to results expressed in units of measure originally reported by the performing laboratory. These values do not apply to results that are converted to other units of measure.
81479 Dihydrotestosterone, S 1848-1

Test Setup Resources

Setup Files
Test setup information contains test file definition details to support order and result interfacing between Mayo Clinic Laboratories and your Laboratory Information System.

Excel | PHP Pdf | CMS Pdf

Sample Reports
Normal and Abnormal sample reports are provided as references for report appearance.

Normal Reports | Abnormal Reports

SI Sample Reports
International System (SI) of Unit reports are provided for a limited number of tests. These reports are intended for international account use and are only available through MayoLINK accounts that have been defined to receive them.

SI Normal Reports | SI Abnormal Reports