The impact of obesity on hyperandrogenemia in Korean girls.
OBJECTIVE
As metabolic complication and polycystic ovarian syndrome due to childhood obesity is rising, the role of hyperandrogenemia (HA) and hyperinsulinism is receiving attention. The aims of this study were to investigate the presence of obvious HA according to pubertal status and to find potential etiologic determinants of HA in Korean obese (OB) girls.


METHODS
We analyzed 91 girls aged 6-17 years (prepuberty, n=54; puberty, n=37). Each girl was classified as being either normal weight (NW) or OB. Anthropometric measurements were obtained and blood test was performed early in the morning after at least 8 hours of fasting to measure glucose, insulin, total testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), luteinizing hormone (LH), follicular-stimulating hormone, estradiol, and progesterone.


RESULTS
The plasma levels of free testosterone (FT) and DHEAS were markedly higher in OB girls compared to NW girls in puberty (FT,P=0.009; DHEAS,P=0.046) but not in prepuberty (FT,P=0.183; DHEAS,P=0.052). Hyperinsulinemia and high homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) values were found regardless of pubertal status in OB girls. The significant related factor to HA in puberty was the body mass indexZ-score (P=0.003). But HOMA-IR, LH, and progesterone levels were not relevant to HA in pubertal girls.


CONCLUSIONS
OB prepubertal girls did not show HA in the present study but they should be regularly monitored because they already had hyperinsulinemia. OB pubertal girls had significant HA and hyperinsulinemia, and obesityper sewas the most important factor for HA.
Department of Pediatrics, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Anyang-si, Korea.
Min Jae
MJ
Kang
Department of Pediatrics, Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Seung
S
Yang
Department of Pediatrics, Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Il Tae
0000-0002-3885-4322
IT
Hwang
Hyperandrogenemia; Korean; Obesity