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Growth hormone response to growth hormone-releasing hormone stimulation in oligozoospermic patients
O Rajmil1, J Rodríguez-Espinosa, J Sarquella
1Servei de Bioquímica Clínica, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain.
Objective:
To evaluate the GH response to growth hormone-releasing hormone (GH-RH) stimulation in oligozoospermic men.
Setting:
Outpatient Clinic of Andrology at the Fundación Puigvert and the Department of Clinical Chemistry, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain.
Patients:
Fifteen oligozoospermic patients and 15 normozoospermic fertile men matched for age and body mass index.
Intervention:
Endocrine status was determined by assay of basal levels of gonadotropins (FSH, LH), T, E2, inhibin, and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I). Serum GH levels were measured before and after GH-RH administration.
Results:
GH response to GH-RH was significantly greater in patients than in controls. There was a positive correlation between the GH response and IGF-I levels in oligozoospermic patients only. Regression analysis showed a significant negative association of GH peak with inhibin after controlling for IGF-I in oligozoospermic patients.
Conclusion:
The results indicate that there is an altered responsiveness of pituitary to GH-RH administration in oligozoospermic patients; this did not appear to be due to the influence of gonadal steroid levels but rather to inhibin or some related peptide.