The pituitary-gonadal axis in spinal cord injury.
Our study documented that serum levels of luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, testosterone, and estradiol in 14 of 15 males with spinal cord injury (SCI) were within the normal range of those of age-matched controls. One patient had gynecomastia with compensated gonadal insufficiency of undetermined etiology. Five males with SCI showed a normal rise in serum testosterone levels following stimulation with human chorionic gonadotropin. Testicular biopsy in one of two males with SCI showed spermatogenic arrest. One of the biopsies showed immunoglobulin G immunofluorescence around the seminiferous tubule; the other demonstrated immunoglobulin A immunofluorescence in the spermatogonia. These findings suggest that, if a high incidence of impaired spermatogenesis does occur in spinal cord-injured patients, it is unlikely to be secondary to hormonal imbalance.
D000328:Adult; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000097:blood; D006177:Gynecomastia / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013091:Spermatogenesis; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013737:Testis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood
D013739:Testosterone; D004958:Estradiol; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone