title: Leuteinizing hormone responses to leuprolide acetate discriminate between hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and constitutional delay of puberty.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess if leuprolide acetate stimulation discriminates between hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH) and constitutional delay of puberty (CDP) in males.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case-control study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients attending an academic research environment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Only male patients were studied: 10 with HH (group 1, age 16.5 +/- 6.0 years), 8 prepubertal with CDP (group 2, age 14.3 +/- 1.2 years), 6 healthy prepubertal (group 3, age 9.5 +/- 3.3 years), and 8 healthy late-pubertal (group 4, age 15.1 +/- 3.1 years).
  
  
  METHODS
  Blood samples were obtained after an overnight fast. Leuprolide acetate was then administered SC, and blood samples were drawn at 0, 30, 60, 120, 180 minutes, and 6 and 24 hours after stimulation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical follow-up evaluations of data and serum levels of LH, FSH, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, and testosterone.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Basal LH levels were similar in groups 1 through 3 and differed significantly from those in group 4. Peak serum LH levels were significantly higher in CDP compared with HH (8.9 +/- 1.4 vs. 1.4 +/- 0.2 IU/L). Baseline FSH levels were significantly higher only in pubertal boys (versus the HH group); peak levels did not differ among the groups. Basal and peak testosterone levels were significantly higher only in the control pubertal group when compared to the other groups; peak 17-hydroxyprogesterone concentrations were significantly higher in pubertal controls compared with HH and CDP.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Peak LH responses clearly discriminate HH from CDP. Timing for blood sampling should be fixed at 0, 60, 120, 180 minutes after stimulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Elisabeth
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Street
authors.forename: Maria Antonietta
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Bandello
authors.forename: Cesare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Terzi
authors.forename: Lourdes
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ibañez
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ghizzoni
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Volta
authors.forename: Candida
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tripodi
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Virdis
mesh_terms: D019326:17-alpha-Hydroxyprogesterone / Q000097:blood; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007006:Hypogonadism / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D016729:Leuprolide / Q000494:pharmacology; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D011628:Puberty, Delayed / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D013739:Testosterone; D019326:17-alpha-Hydroxyprogesterone; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone; D016729:Leuprolide