Metabolic syndrome in men with Klinefelter's syndrome

To investigate the metabolic syndrome and sex hormones in patients with Klinefelter's syndrome (KFS), 46XY men with nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA), and an age-matched obstructive azoospermia (OA) group.

We examined 60 patients with KFS, 60 46XY male patients with NOA, and 50 patients with OA. Height, weight, waist circumference, and blood pressure were examined. Fasting blood samples were analyzed for sex hormones, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and plasma glucose.

Height, weight, and waist circumferences were significantly greater in KFS patients compared with NOA and OA patients. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol of KFS patients (132.9 +/- 29.4 mg/dL) was significantly increased compared with NOA (117.0 +/- 27.8 mg/dL) and OA patients (106.1 +/- 27.9 mg/dL) (P <0.05 and P <0.01). High-density lipoprotein cholesterol was significantly decreased in KFS patients (50.1 +/- 15.9 mg/dL) compared with NOA (58.7 +/- 11.7 mg/dL) and OA patients (59.5 +/- 17.9 mg/dL) (both P <0.05). Total cholesterol, triglycerides, and fasting glucose were not significantly different among the three groups. The differences between KFS and NOA, KFS and OA, and NOA and OA were all significant (P <0.01, P <0.001, and P <0.01, respectively) in terms of follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and free testosterone level.

Hypogonadism in KFS may cause an unfavorable change in body composition and the metabolic syndrome.