Effects of drug and alcohol abuse upon pituitary-testicular function in adolescent males

To assess the effects of drug and alcohol abuse (DAA) on the physical changes and hormones of puberty in adolescents, 26 males (13 5/12-22 years) enrolled in a drug rehabilitation program were examined. In 22 subjects four timed blood samples were obtained sequentially at 15 minute intervals for measurement of serum concentrations of testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHAS). The mean duration of DAA was 3.7 years, with marijuana and alcohol being the most frequently abused substances. The study subjects were compared to a matched control group of non-substance-abusing teenagers. All heights and weights of the DAA subjects fell within two standard deviations of the mean on the Tanner Growth Charts and no statically significant differences in the Tanner stages of sexual maturation were found between the DAA and control groups. The mean (+/- SD) testosterone level of the DAA group (221 +/- 109 ng/dl) was less than half that of the control group (477 +/- 193 ng/dl, p less than 0.001). Mean LH concentration in the DAA group (3.9 +/- 3.0 mIU/ml) was significantly less than that of the control group (10 +/- 4.9 mIU/ml, p less than 0.01). In both the DAA and control populations there was a significant (p less than 0.01) correlation between serum concentrations of LH and testosterone. The mean FSH level of the DAA group (3.3 +/- 1.1 mIU/ml) was significantly less (p less than 0.02) than that of the control group (4.7 +/- 1.9 mIU/ml). To assess the effects of treatment, six boys underwent repeat blood sampling 7-12 months after drug and alcohol withdrawal.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)