Inhibin B levels in adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes.
OBJECTIVE
To assess exocrine and endocrine testicular function in subjects with diabetes, we evaluated serum inhibin B, gonadotrophins and testosterone levels in 33 male adolescent and young adult patients affected by type-1 diabetes (age 21.0 +/- 5 years; range 14.2-33.3), with a mean disease duration of 12.7 +/- 5.8 years (range 1.5-25.3) and various metabolic control (HbA1c 7.8 +/- 1.5%; range 5.5-13.2) and compared them with those of an age-matched group of 36 healthy control subjects (age 19.5 +/- 4.1 years; range 13.6-28.1). Both patients and controls had a testicular volume >or=15 ml. Inhibin B was measured by ELISA method.


CONCLUSIONS
Diabetics and controls had comparable inhibin B (203 +/- 74 vs. 221 +/- 69 pg/ml, respectively) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels, while luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone levels were significantly higher in the diabetic group. Inhibin B was negatively correlated both in patients and controls with FSH, while a negative correlation with LH was found only in the diabetic group. We conclude that our young diabetic males, after a mean disease duration of 12 years and various metabolic control, had inhibin B and FSH levels comparable to those of normal subjects. Therefore, they seem to have a regular testicular function and in particular a normal seminiferous tubule/Sertoli cell activity despite sustained hyperglycemia.
Salardi
Silvana
S
Department of Pediatrics, University of Bologna, Italy. salardi@med.unibo.it
Zucchini
Stefano
S
Cicognani
Alessandro
A
Gualandi
Stefano
S
Barbieri
Eveline
E
Cacciari
Emanuele
E
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood*; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000097:blood; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007265:Inhibins / Q000097:blood*; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood
D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; D007265:Inhibins; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone; D013739:Testosterone; C422364:inhibin B