Abstract
We examined and made hormonal measurements at 6 month intervals in 20 normal boys (M) and 15 girls (F) during a longitudinal study of puberty. Initial detectability of B- and I-LH, measured in highly sensitive assay systems, was related to chronologic (CA) and skeletal age (BA), pubertal stage and sex steroid levels. In prepuberty, the detectability of B-LH was similar in both sexes (M-27%,F-35%), but differed in I-LH (M-79%,F-40%; X2=10.026,p<.002). In pubertal stage II, detectability of both B-LH (M-91%;,F-48%;X2=18.701,p<.001) and I-LH (M-89%,F-49%;X2=21.224,p<.001) differed. In contrast to measurability of I-LH in M at younger age and lower T levels than B-LH, no such difference existed in F when age, pubertal stage, E2 or FSH levels were considered. BA (11.2 vs 9.9,p<.02), but not CA, and pubertal stage (2.2 vs 1.4,p<.005) were significantly later in F than M at the earliest I-LH, but not B-LH, above assay sensitivity. In conclusion: (1) Prepubertal detectability of I-LH was more frequent in M than in F; (2) although B-LH tended to be unmeasurable in Stage I, less than 50% of Stage II F had either B-or I-LH found, in contrast to 90% of M; (3) in view of discordant B- and I-LH pulses reported in adults, the detectable I-LH potency estimates in immature M must be reevaluated as to alpha-subunit or other assay interference, as well as to the problems of use of multiclonal antisera and impure standards.
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Reiter, E., Sizonenko, P., Witt, M. et al. SEX DIFFERENCES IN DETECTABILITY OF BIO(B)- AND IMMUNO(I)-LH IN EARLY PUBERTAL DEVELOPMENT: A LONGITUDINAL STUDY. Pediatr Res 18 (Suppl 4), 175 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198404001-00490
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198404001-00490