Abstract
Plasma concentrations of androstenedione(A) and dehydroepiandrosterone(DHEA) and plasma gonadotrophin response to 100μg LHRH were measured in 6 boys with idiopathic growth-hormone deficiency(GHD) and micropenis (Bone age (BA) mean:11.48, CA range:10.7-15.9), 6 boys with GHD and normal genitalia matched for BA (BA:11.27, CA:11.3-15.5) and 5 boys with idiopathic delayed puberty also matched for BA (BA:11.67, CA:12.6-15.1). The boys with micropenis had significantly lower LH (P<.002) and FSH (P<.006) responses to LHRH than the boys with normal genitalia; whether growth-hormone deficient or not. Plasma A and DHEA increased with BA in each group and did not differ significantly between groups. Micropenis is associated with gonadotrophin deficiency despite the occurrence of virilization in some cases, perhaps due to adrenal androgens.
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Savage, M., Preece, M. & Mansfield, M. LHRH response and adrenal androgens in growth-hormone deficient boys with micropenis. Pediatr Res 12, 1089 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197811000-00048
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197811000-00048