Abstract
Sm-C increase during puberty or sex hormones treatment. Whether this increase is mediated by GH is still unclear. Children with testicular feminization submitted to gonadectomy provide a good model to assess the role of sex steroids on GH secretion. we evaluated Sm-C, T and E2 in 9 testicular feminized girls (mean age 11.6±1 yrs) immediately before and after gonadectomy. In 3 subjects GH release was evaluated by means of a sleep test. Hean Sm-C before surgery (2.85 UI ± 1.23) was significantly higher than that after gonadectomy (1.39±0.9, p<0.025) and than that of normal controls (n 83) (1.68±1.04, p<0.025). In all 3 patients the sleep test showed GH values higher before surgery by 1 SD over the mean value of control subjects and a GH decrease after gonadectomy (see table).
Though the number of subjects studied is small, the fact that all showed the same Gil behaviour allows us to hypothesize that the higher Sm-C values before surgery, in spite of androgen insensitivity, are the expression of the high testosterone (or estradiol) levels oF these subjects and the Sm-C increase seems mediated through enhanced GH secretion.
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Cicognani, A., Pascucci, N., Tacconi, M. et al. 115 EFFECT OF GONADECTOMY ON GROWTH FACTORS IN TESTICULAR FENINIZED CHILDREN. Pediatr Res 24, 536 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198810000-00136
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198810000-00136