Blood Dehydroepiandrosterone and Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate as pathophysiological correlates of chronic pain: analyses using a national sample of midlife adults in the united states
Identifying biomarkers is a priority in translational chronic pain research. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfated form, DHEA-S, are adrenocortical steroids in the blood with neuroprotective properties that also produce sex hormones. They may capture key sex-specific neuroendocrine mechanisms of chronic pain.