Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (IHH) is a rare disorder characterised by delayed or absent sexual maturation and infertility associated with inappropriately low gonadotropin and sex steroid levels. Insulin resistance (IR) is defined as an impaired biologic response to both endogenous and exogenous insulin. IR is a common precursor to the development of glucose intolerance, including diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Dyslipidaemia, apolipoprotein B-100 (ApoB-100), homocysteine, ApoA1, and high sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) are another risk factors on coronary artery disease. We aimed to to look at the role of gonadotropin replacement treatment in development of IR and other cardiovascular risk factors in patients with IHH.

Materials and methods: Twenty-four male patients with untreated IHH were enrolled into the study. IR was calculated by the homeostasis model assessment of IR (HOMA-IR) form. Plasma glucose, insulin, hsCRP, homocysteine, ApoA1, ApoB-100, LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-K), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC) levels were measured in fasting blood samples, and biochemical and hormonal analyses were performed for all study participants before and after treatment.

Results: Before and after gonadotropin replacement, HOMA-IR were 3.12±1.44 and 1.98±1.48; LDL-C levels were 110.8±33.7 and 91.8±27.6 mg/dl respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between HOMA-IR (P=0.001) and LDL-C levels (P=0.004). However, there was no statistically significant differences among other parameters (P>0.05).

Conclusions: Gonadotropin replacement can significantly improve patients’ insulin sensitivity and decrease serum LDL-C levels. Therefore, gonadotropin replacement may prevent developing diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases in future.