Sex hormones and diabetic retinopathy.

An estimation of the serum testosterone and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels using a radioimmunoassay technique was made in 25 control subjects, 52 diabetic patients without retinopathy, and six patients with diabetic retinopathy. Testosterone levels were higher in the diabetic patients with and without retinopathy than in the control subjects. They were significantly higher in the diabetic patients with retinopathy compared with the levels in those without retinopathy (P < .001) and equally significantly elevated compared with the levels in the control group (P < .001). Similarly, the FSH level was higher in the diabetic patients with retinopathy than in the control group and in those without retinopathy. Statistically, this increase was not significant (P > .05).