Search

Serum total testosterone, total 17 beta-estradiol, LH, FSH, and PRL concentrations were measured by RIA in 59 homosexual men infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (32 clinically healthy antibody-positive men (HH+), 20 men with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), and 7 men with AIDS-related complex (ARC). The results were compared with those of 26 antibody-negative homosexual men (HH-) who served as controls. The mean serum total testosterone concentration was significantly lower in the men with AIDS [414 +/- 230 (+/- SD) ng/dL (14.5 +/- 8.0)] than in the HH- men [550 +/- 172 ng/dL (19.0 +/- 6.0 nmol/L); P less than 0.05]. The mean serum LH level was significantly higher in the men with AIDS (26 +/- 14 vs. 14 +/- 4 IU/L in HH- men; P less than 0.01) and slightly but significantly higher in the men with ARC (19 +/- 8 IU/L; 0.10 greater than P greater than 0.05). Serum FSH also was significantly higher in the men with AIDS (P less than 0.05). Serum PRL was significantly higher in the men with ARC (10 +/- 2 micrograms/L; P less than 0.05) and AIDS (16 +/- 10 micrograms/L; P less than 0.001) than in the HH- men (8 +/- 3 micrograms/L). Serum sex hormone-binding globulin levels were similar in HH- men and men with AIDS as were serum T responses to hCG administration for 2 days. These results suggest that alterations of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis indicative of primary hypogonadism accompany human immunodeficiency virus infection in homosexual men.

Obese men have hyperestrogenemia-induced hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HHG), due, we believe, to increased rarmatization of adrenal androgens by the increased bulk of aromatase-containing adipose tissue. We studied the effects of corticosuppressive doses of dexamethasone (D) on 24-h mean plasma total and free estradiol (E2), estrone (E1), LH, FSH, total and free testosterone, delta 4-androstenedione (delta 4), and sex-hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) in nine obese men and five normal-weight controls. In the obese men, the following hormones fell: E2 [59 +/- 19 to 39 +/- 11 pg/ml (P less than 0.01)], E1 [93 +/- 41 to 50 +/- 25 pg/ml; (P less than 0.01)], delta 4-androstenedione [120 +/- 80 to 55 +/- 27 ng/dl; (P less than 0.02)]; free E2 [1.6 +/- 0.4 to 1.1 +/- 0.2 pg/ml; (P less than 0.01)], SHBG [12.8 +/- 5.3 to 8.2 +/- 3 nM/l; (P less than 0.04)]. FSH rose from 4.8 +/- 3.2 to 7.6 +/- 4.2 miu/ml (P less than 0.01). LH, total and free testosterone showed no significant change. In the nonobese men, there were decreases in total E2 [(34 +/- 6.8 to 25 +/- 10 pg/ml; P less than 0.04)], SHBG [16.8 +/- 7.5 to 10.4 +/- 2.0 nM/l: P less than .05.], free E2 [0.9 +/- 0.2 to 0.7 +/- 0.3 pg/ml: P less than 0.05], delta 4 [91.4 +/- 3.6 to 33.4 +/- 16.7 ng/dl; P less than .01] and total T [492 +/- 44 to 393 +/- 121 ng/dl; P less than 0.04]. There was no significant change in E1, FSH, LH or free T.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)