Measurement of Serum Inhibin B Level in Male Patients with Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism

Abstract

elayed puberty is defined as the lack of pubertal development by an age that is 2–2.5 SDs beyond the population mean. It can be the initial presentation of a serious underlying disorder like Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH) in males is characterized by impaired testicular function, which can affect spermatogenesis and/or testosterone synthesis as a consequence of congenital or acquired diseases that affect the hypothalamus and/or the pituitary gland leading to absent or in adequate secretion of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) and/or failure of pituitary gonadotropin secretion (FSH and LH). At time of puberty, sertoli cells in testis proliferate, produce and secrete inhibin B into the circulation as a response to FSH stimulation. Inhibin B is considered to be an index of Sertoli cell number and integrity. Any changes in inhibin B concentrations reflect mainly the status of germ cell proliferation and development. In this observational analytical cross sectional study, we measured serum inhibin B level among 21 male patients with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism.