Gonadotropin Secretion in Girls with Turner Syndrome Measured by an Ultrasensitive Immunochemiluminometric Assay

Vol. 65, No. 5, 2006

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Original Paper

Gonadotropin Secretion in Girls with Turner Syndrome Measured by an Ultrasensitive Immunochemiluminometric Assay
Dionisios Chrysis^b, Bessie E. Spiliotis^b, Mark Stene^c, Emanuele Cacciari^d, Marsha L. Davenport^a

^aDepartment of Pediatrics, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, N.C., USA;
^bDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Patras, Patras, Greece;
^cEsoterix Endocrinology, Calabasas Hills, Calif., USA;
^dDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

Address of Corresponding Author

Horm Res 2006;65:261-266 (DOI: 10.1159/000092516)

Key Words

Follicle-stimulating hormone
Luteinizing hormone
Turner syndrome
Gonadal dysgenesis
X chromosome

Abstract

Background/Aim: Gonadotropin levels measured by radioimmunoassays are high in girls with Turner syndrome (TS), but overlap significantly with those of normal girls. We hypothesized that gonadotropin levels would be above the normal range in TS when measured by ultrasensitive assays. Methods: Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels were measured in 68 TS, and 133 control girls using ultrasensitive immunochemiluminometric assays (ICMA). Results: FSH levels in TS and normal girls were highest in early childhood (56.0 ± 39.7 and 2.3 ± 1.8 IU/l, respectively), declined at 6-10 years of age (11.3 ± 13.1 and 1.8 ± 0.9 IU/l, respectively), and then increased again (104.4 ± 68.9 and 4.9 ± 2.4 IU/l, respectively). FSH was in the normal range on 11 of 27 occasions in TS girls with ages 5-10 years, and on 3 of 44 occasions in >10 years. Although average LH values were higher than those of controls, they often overlapped the normal range. Conclusion: A significant number of TS girls have normal gonadotropins by ICMA. Spontaneous gonadotropin levels are not an adequate screening test for the diagnosis of TS but may prove useful for predicting the gonadal function and determining the appropriate timing of estrogen replacement therapy.

Author Contacts

Marsha L. Davenport
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7039 (USA)
Tel. +1 919 966 4435/ext. 232, Fax +1 919 966 2423, E-Mail mld@med.unc.edu

Article Information

Received: December 20, 2005
Accepted: February 20, 2006
Published online: March 31, 2006
Number of Print Pages : 6
Number of Figures : 2, Number of Tables : 1, Number of References : 33

Medline Abstract (ID 16582569)

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