Clinical characteristics of 138 Chinese female patients with idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism

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Abstract

Objective

To evaluate the clinical features of Chinese women with idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (IHH).

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the clinical characteristics, laboratory and imaging findings, therapeutic management and fertility outcomes of 138 women with IHH. All patients had been treated and followed up at an academic medical centre during 1990–2016.

Results

Among the 138 patients, 82 patients (59.4%) were diagnosed with normosmic IHH and 56 patients (40.6%) were diagnosed with Kallmann syndrome (KS). The patients with IHH experienced occasional menses (4.3%), spontaneous thelarche (45.7%) or spontaneous pubarche (50.7%). Women with thelarche had a higher percentage of pubarche ( P < 0.001) and higher gonadotropin concentrations ( P < 0.01). Olfactory bulb/sulci abnormalities were found during the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of all patients with KS. Most patients with IHH had osteopenia and low bone age. Among the 16 women who received gonadotropin-releasing hormone treatment, ovulation induction or assisted reproductive technology, the clinical pregnancy rate was 81.3% and the live birth rate was 68.8%.

Conclusions

The present study revealed that the phenotypic spectrum of women with IHH is broader than typical primary amenorrhoea with no secondary sexual development, including occasional menses, spontaneous thelarche or pubarche. MRI of the olfactory system can facilitate the diagnosis of KS. Pregnancy can be achieved after receiving appropriate treatment.

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Most cited references 28

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The role of prior pubertal development, biochemical markers of testicular maturation, and genetics in elucidating the phenotypic heterogeneity of idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism.

Nelly Pitteloud, Frances Hayes, Paul A Boepple … (2002)

As our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (IHH) expands, it becomes increasingly important to define the phenotypic spectrum of IHH. In this study we examined historical, clinical, biochemical, histological, and genetic features in 78 men with IHH to gain further insight into the phenotypic heterogeneity of the syndrome. We hypothesized that at least some of the spectrum of phenotypes could be explained by placing the disorder into a developmental and genetic context. Thirty-eight percent of the population had Kallmann syndrome (KS; IHH with anosmia), 54% had normosmic IHH, and 8% had acquired IHH after completion of puberty. Phenotypically, KS represented the most severe subtype (87% with complete absence of any history or signs of spontaneous pubertal development), normosmic IHH displayed the most heterogeneity (41% with some evidence of spontaneous puberty), and acquired IHH after completion of puberty clustered at the mildest end (all had complete puberty). Classification based on historical or clinical evidence of prior pubertal development, rather than the presence or absence of sense of smell, served to distinguish the population more clearly with respect to other clinical and biochemical features. Comparing IHH patients according to the absence (68%) or presence (24%) of some prior pubertal development revealed significant differences in testicular size (3.3 +/- 0.2 vs. 11.8 +/- 1.2 ml; P < 0.001), incidence of cryptorchidism (40% vs. 5%; P < 0.05), microphallus (21% vs. 0%; P < 0.05), inhibin B levels (45 +/- 4 vs. 144 +/- 20 pg/ml; P < 0.0001), and Mullerian inhibitory substance levels (9.8 +/- 1.4 vs. 2 +/- 0.5 ng/ml). Most familial cases had no pubertal development (95% vs. 5%; P < 0.001); males with mutations in the KAL gene displayed the most severe phenotype. Mean gonadotropins levels (LH, 1.8 +/- 0.1 vs. 2.9 +/- 0.4 IU/liter; FSH, 2.2 +/- 0.2 vs. 3.3 +/- 0.3 IU/liter; P < 0.05) and the finding of apulsatile LH secretion based on frequent sampling (80% vs. 55%; P < 0.05) were statistically different between patients lacking and those exhibiting partial pubertal development, but the overlap was extensive. The use of clinical parameters (presence or absence of some evidence of prior pubertal development, cryptorchidism, and microphallus), biochemical markers of testicular growth and differentiation (inhibin B and Mullerian inhibitory substance), and genetic evidence provides insight into the time of onset and the severity of GnRH deficiency. Viewing IHH in the full context of its developmental, genetic, and biochemical complexity permits greatest insight into its phenotypic variability.

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A comparative phenotypic study of kallmann syndrome patients carrying monoallelic and biallelic mutations in the prokineticin 2 or prokineticin receptor 2 genes.

Slawomir Wolczynski, Nathalie Chabbert-Buffet, Sebastien Jacquemont … (2010)

Both biallelic and monoallelic mutations in PROK2 or PROKR2 have been found in Kallmann syndrome (KS). The objective of the study was to compare the phenotypes of KS patients harboring monoallelic and biallelic mutations in these genes. We studied clinical and endocrine features that reflect the functioning of the pituitary-gonadal axis, and the nonreproductive phenotype, in 55 adult KS patients (42 men and 13 women), of whom 41 had monoallelic mutations and 14 biallelic mutations in PROK2 or PROKR2. Biallelic mutations were associated with more frequent cryptorchidism (70% vs. 34%, P < 0.05) and microphallus (90% vs. 28%, P < 0.001) and lower mean testicular volume (1.2 +/- 0.4 vs. 4.5 +/- 6.0 ml; P < 0.01) in male patients. Likewise, the testosterone level as well as the basal FSH level and peak LH level under GnRH-stimulation were lower in males with biallelic mutations (0.2 +/- 0.1 vs. 0.7 +/- 0.8 ng/ml; P = 0.05, 0.3 +/- 0.1 vs. 1.8 +/- 3.0 IU/liter; P < 0.05, and 0.8 +/- 0.8 vs. 5.2 +/- 5.5 IU/liter; P < 0.05, respectively). Nonreproductive, nonolfactory anomalies were rare in both sexes and were never found in patients with biallelic mutations. The mean body mass index of the patients (23.9 +/- 4.2 kg/m(2) in males and 26.3 +/- 6.6 kg/m(2) in females) did not differ significantly from that of gender-, age-, and treatment-matched KS individuals who did not carry a mutation in PROK2 or PROKR2. Finally, circadian cortisol levels evaluated in five patients, including one with biallelic PROKR2 mutations, were normal in all cases. Male patients carrying biallelic mutations in PROK2 or PROKR2 have a less variable and on average a more severe reproductive phenotype than patients carrying monoallelic mutations in these genes. Nonreproductive, nonolfactory clinical anomalies associated with KS seem to be restricted to patients with monoallelic mutations.

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Olfactory phenotypic spectrum in idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism: pathophysiological and genetic implications.

Mark Plummer, Hilana Lewkowitz-Shpuntoff, Stephanie Seminara … (2011)

The olfactory phenotype in patients with idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (IHH) ranges from complete anosmia (Kallmann syndrome) to normosmia (normosmic IHH). However, the true prevalence of intermediary olfactory phenotypes (hyposmia) in IHH patients has not yet been assessed, and systematic correlations with anatomical and genetic abnormalities have not been reported. The objective of this study was to evaluate olfactory function in a large IHH cohort and correlate these findings with olfactory magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and underlying genetic etiology. We conducted a cross-sectional case-control study at an academic referral center. A total of 286 IHH patients (201 males and 85 females) and 2183 healthy historic controls (1011 males and 1172 females) were studied. We measured olfactory function using the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test; in 208 subjects, the genetic etiology of IHH was ascertained by DNA sequencing; in a minor subset [39 of 286 subjects (13%)], olfactory structures were determined by MRI. In the IHH cohort, 31.5% were anosmic, 33.6% were hyposmic, and 34.9% were normosmic. Most hyposmic (seven of 11) subjects with MRI data exhibited olfactory structure abnormalities. Of hyposmic subjects, 39.5% harbored mutations in genes involved in either GnRH neuronal migration or GnRH secretion. IHH subjects display a broad spectrum of olfactory function, with a significant hyposmic phenotype in nearly one third of subjects. The hyposmic subjects harbor mutations in genes affecting GnRH neuronal migration and its secretion, suggesting a pathophysiological overlap between Kallmann syndrome and normosmic IHH. Accurate olfactory phenotyping in IHH subjects will inform the pathophysiology of this condition and guide genetic testing.

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Endocr Connect

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Endocr Connect

Journal ID (hwp): EC

Title: Endocrine Connections

Publisher: Bioscientifica Ltd (Bristol )

ISSN (Electronic): 2049-3614

Publication date Collection: November 2017

Publication date (Electronic): 10 October 2017

Volume: 6

Issue: 8

Pages: 800-810

Affiliations

[1]Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

Author notes

Correspondence should be addressed to R Chen; Email: chenrongpumch@ 123456163.com

Article

Publisher ID: EC170251

DOI: 10.1530/EC-17-0251

PMC ID: 5682410

PubMed ID: 29018155

SO-VID: 02f032de-8831-45bd-a2cb-5f2088e13c68

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Clinical characteristics of 138 Chinese female patients with idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism

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Abstract

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Most cited references 28

The role of prior pubertal development, biochemical markers of testicular maturation, and genetics in elucidating the phenotypic heterogeneity of idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism.

A comparative phenotypic study of kallmann syndrome patients carrying monoallelic and biallelic mutations in the prokineticin 2 or prokineticin receptor 2 genes.

Olfactory phenotypic spectrum in idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism: pathophysiological and genetic implications.

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