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The pituitary-thyroid axis in Klinefelter's syndrome
Acta Endocrinologica
|January 1, 1977
Summary
Patients with Klinefelter
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Genetics
Background:
- Klinefelter syndrome (47,XXY) is associated with hypogonadism.
- Thyroid function is often presumed normal in these patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) reserve in patients with Klinefelter syndrome.
- To assess the impact of testosterone treatment and hypergonadotropism on TSH response.
Main Methods:
- Evaluated 25 clinically euthyroid Klinefelter patients and euthyroid male controls.
- Administered thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) to assess TSH and T3 responses.
- Compared responses with and without testosterone treatment.
Main Results:
- Conventional thyroid indices were normal in most Klinefelter patients.
- A blunted TSH response to TRH was observed in Klinefelter patients, irrespective of testosterone treatment.
- T3 response to TRH was comparable between Klinefelter patients and controls.
Conclusions:
- Klinefelter syndrome patients exhibit a diminished TSH reserve.
- Hypergonadotropism, not Klinefelter syndrome itself, may cause the blunted TSH response.
- Thyroid hormone regulation may be altered in Klinefelter syndrome, despite normal conventional indices.