Serum hormone levels and anthropometric characteristics in girls with hyperandrogenism

Sonata Žukauskaitė, Audronė Šeibokaitė, Liudvikas Lašas, Danutė Lašienė, Bronislava Urbonaitė, Jūratė Kiesylytė¹

Institute of Endocrinology, Kaunas University of Medicine, ¹Department of Children’s Diseases, Kaunas University of Medicine Hospital, Lithuania

Key words: hyperandrogenism, premature adrenarche, girls.

Summary. Polycystic ovary syndrome is considered to originate during puberty. The aim of this study was to investigate hormonal status in relationship to anthropometric data in girls with premature adrenarche and adolescent girls with hyperandrogenism, as these conditions are related to polycystic ovary syndrome in adulthood.

Materials and methods. 20 girls with premature adrenarche (aged 4.9–10.2 years), 21 postmenarcheal girls with hirsutism (aged 13.3–17.8 years), 2 groups (n=13 in each) of healthy volunteers of similar age and body mass index participated in the study.

Results. Serum testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate levels were significantly higher in all patients than in controls. Free androgen index and leptin levels were significantly higher, and sex-hormone-binding globulin lower in hirsute adolescents vs. controls. Birth weight standard deviation scores were comparable in all 4 groups. Serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate negatively correlated with birth weight standard deviation scores in the group of girls with premature adrenarche (r=–0.57, p<0.001). By linear regression, 76% in variation of serum leptin levels could be explained by subscapular skinfold thickness standard deviation scores, and by serum sex-hormone-binding globulin, insulin, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate levels in all participants. Mean age of onset of menarche was younger in hirsute girls vs. controls (12.1±1.3 vs. 13.5±1.3 years, p=0.004).

Conclusions. Inverse correlation of dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate levels and weight at birth indicates relationship between premature adrenarche in girls and fetal growth. Higher leptin levels in adolescents with hyperandrogenism than in healthy girls show possible involvement of leptin in pathogenesis of hyperandrogenism.

Correspondence to S. Žukauskaitė, Institute of Endocrinology, Kaunas University of Medicine, Eivenių 2, 50009 Kaunas, Lithuania. E-mail: s.zukauskaite@centras.lt

Received 8 June 2004, accepted 16 December 2004