Climatic Effect on Urinary Output of Neutral 17-Ketosteroids

¹ From the Department of Hygiene, Niigata University School of Medicine, Niigata City, Japan

Collections of 24-hour specimens of urine were made from 13 male and 11 female healthy adults, and the 17-ketosteroid output of each subject was assayed electrophotometrically by the method of Holtorff and Koch once a month for a period of 14 months, from December 1952 to January 1954. Daily output of urine appeared to be greater during winter than summer, but there is no quantitative relationship between a volume of 24-hour urine and the excretion of 17-ketosteroids. The 17-ketosteroid output clearly changed seasonally, with the maximum amount in January and the minimum in July. Curves of seasonal change of these steroids in both sexes closely paralleled one another throughout all the period of investigation. The mean values in July were less than 70% as much as those in January in both males and females, and changes during every season were statistically significant. Appreciable correlations were given between the 24-hour output of 17-ketosteroids and the external temperature. By further analysis of data there is a suggestion that secondary rises of 17-ketosteroid output appeared with the noon temperature of 24°C to 26°C in both sexes. At the noon temperature of less than 10°C for the male and 8°C for the female, 17-ketosteroid secretion does not increase further because of artificial defenses against the cold.