Differentiation of normal male prepuberty and hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism using an ultrasensitive luteinizing hormone assay.
OBJECTIVE
To assess how the Delfia time-resolved immunofluorometric assay can most conveniently and economically be used to differentiate normal prepuberty from complete idiopathic hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism (IHH, Kallmann's syndrome).


METHODS
42 prepubertal boys aged 8.06-14.1 years and 11 adult male patients with IHH.


METHODS
Blood samples were withdrawn at 20-min intervals for 8 h from 23.00 to 07.00. Samples from the 6 h commencing 1 h after sleep onset were analysed for LH by Delfia.


RESULTS
Mean LH over this 6-hour period discriminated between IHH and normal prepuberty after the age of 12.5 years (no IHH subject > 0.31 U/l, no prepubertal subject < 0.33 U/l). The maximum hourly mean LH value for each subject gave a greater degree of mutual exclusivity (no IHH subject > 0.45 U/l, no prepubertal subject < 0.50 U/l).


CONCLUSIONS
Kallmann's syndrome patients can be distinguished from prepubertal boys aged 12.5 years or over by blood sampling every 20 min for 6 h, commencing 1 h after sleep onset. The pooling of these samples into six 1-hour samples and subsequent Delfia assay will yield six 1-hour mean LH concentrations for each subject. The highest of these six concentrations will give a value with mutual exclusivity between the two groups.
Brown
D C
DC
Department of Child Life and Health, University of Edinburgh, UK.
Stirling
H F
HF
Butler
G E
GE
Kelnar
C J
CJ
Wu
F C
FC
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D015200:Fluoroimmunoassay; D006801:Humans; D017436:Kallmann Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D011627:Puberty / Q000097:blood*; D012016:Reference Values; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors
D007986:Luteinizing Hormone