Levels of sexual hormones in relation with syndrome-differentiation of TCM in patients of chronic renal failure.

Determinations of plasma levels of sexual hormones in 43 male patients of chronic renal failure showed that the content of testosterone (T) decreased markedly, while estradiol (E2) and E2/T ratio were obviously higher than in normal subjects, with no significant correlation between the levels of these sexual hormones and renal function. According to syndrome-differentiation of TCM, 17 of the 43 cases belonged to deficiency of Kidney-yang, and the other 26 cases deficiency of Kidney-yin. In the patients with deficiency of Kidney-yang, the E2 level was not increased, but the T content decreased to make the E2/T ratio apparently elevated; whereas in the patients with deficiency of Kidney-yin, both E2 and E2/T were elevated. The level of E2 in deficiency of Kidney-yin was markedly higher than that in deficiency of Kidney-yang. The results indicated that patients of chronic renal failure of the type of deficiency of Kidney-yang differed in syndrome as well as in levels of the sexual hormones from the type of deficiency of Kidney-yin; however, the sexual hormones were not correlated with the renal functions in the two types of patients.