Effect of nutritional status on the circulatory gonadotrophin levels in girls before puberty.
Circulating luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels were investigated in prepubertal girls (aged 6 to 10 years) showing evidence of varying degrees of either stunting and wasting or both, due to protein-energy malnutrition (PEM). Both serum LH and FSH levels in all the subjects with either grade 1 or 2 type of stunting and no wasting, or grade 1 type of wasting and no stunting, showed no noticeable variations from the corresponding hormonal levels of the normals. However, a low serum FSH level was observed in one subject with grade 3 type of stunting. Amongst the subjects with both stunting and wasting, those with a combination of grade 1 type of stunting and wasting, serum hormonal levels were comparable to the normals. On the other hand, those with more severe degrees of wasting and stunting had low levels of serum LH and FSH, particularly of FSH. It is suggested that the low levels of these gonadotrophins may be responsible for the delay in the onset of menarche commonly encountered in cases of PEM.
D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D008572:Menarche; D011502:Protein-Energy Malnutrition / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*
D007986:Luteinizing Hormone; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone