title: Luteinizing hormone, testosterone and inhibin B levels in the peripubertal period and racial/ethnic differences among boys aged 6-11 years: analyses from NHANES III, 1988-1994.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether the initial physical findings of puberty are accompanied by hormonal evidence of pubertal activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis and whether racial/ethnic differences exist, we have analysed hormone levels in relation to age, onset of puberty and race/ethnicity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional analysis of luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone (T) and inhibin B from banked sera from a representative sample of US boys aged 6·0-11·99 years who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eight hundred and twenty-eight boys having sera including 228 non-Hispanic white (NHW), 266 non-Hispanic black (NHB), 288 Mexican-American (MA) and 46 'other'.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using analysis of variance and linear regression techniques, concentrations of LH, T and inhibin B were compared by race/ethnicity for all boys and pubertal status (Tanner's Staging 1, 2 and 3+) for boys aged 8 years and older. Receiver operating curves were utilized to identify cut-points predictive of pubertal HPG status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean hormones levels progressively increased with age. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves indicate hormones are consistent with pubertal onset as indicated by Tanner stage 2, except for T and genital stage 2. Inhibin B and LH levels increased significantly by genital stage after adjusting for age and race/ethnicity, while LH and T concentrations increased significantly across pubic hair stages. Levels of inhibin B were significantly higher for NHB boys compared with other racial/ethnic groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In these cross-sectional findings, hormone levels rise gradually as boys approach the peripubertal age, whereas an abrupt rise was not associated with the onset of physical changes of puberty.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Penn State College of Medicine, The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA 17033-0850, USA. plee@psu.edu
authors.forename: Peter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Audra L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Gollenberg
authors.forename: Mary L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Hediger
authors.forename: John H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Himes
authors.forename: Zhiwei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Germaine M Buck
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Louis
mesh_terms: D044383:Black People; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D007265:Inhibins / Q000097:blood*; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood*; D044465:White People
chemical_list: C422364:inhibin B; D013739:Testosterone; D007265:Inhibins; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone
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