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Objective: Androgenic neurosteroids have been shown to have involvement in the etiopathogenesis of many psychiatric disorders. To be able to tell if changes seen in adults could also be shown in the pediatric age group is substantially important in elucidating the etiology. However, we did not come across any study that inspected neurosteroid levels in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients. Consequently, in this study, we planned to study the levels of cortisol, testosterone and DHEA-S in pediatric OCD patients.
Methods: In this study, children between 7 and 16 years of age, 39 of whom were OCD patients and 37 healthy, have been included, with both groups having a similar distribution of age and sex. Total serum testosterone, cortisol and DHEA-S levels were measured using the ELISA method, and the relationship with the clinical data was investigated.
Results: No statistically significant difference could be established between the patients and the control group in testosterone, DHEA-S or cortisol levels. (p=0,175, p=0,642, p=0,842 respectively).
Conclusion: This first study found out that levels of cortisol, testosterone and DHEA-S in the pediatric patients were no different than they were in the control group. However, considering that the levels of these neurosteroids have been shown to be different in the adult patients before, it is likely that the change in neurosteroid levels is a finding emerging in the course of the anxiety disorders.