[Hormonal profile of idiopathic gynecomastia in young adults. Apropos of 488 cases]

Gynecomastia, a very frequent disorder, is present in almost 40% of young men. In this population the investigations often fail to find any aetiology, therefore defining idiopathic gynecomastia. The aim of this work is to compare clinical and hormonal characteristics of 488 subjects with gynecomastia to 41 healthy controls. Their are many explanations for the occurrence of idiopathic gynecomastia, including modification of hormonal balance, change of aromatase activity, or a receptor anomaly. Our works demonstrate a significant decrease in mean testosteronemia, linked to a high prevalence of incipient hypogonadism in the studied population, especially in patients with an history of testicular disease.