What May Be the Markers of the Male
Equivalent of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome?
[This paper is dedicated to Vratislav Schreiber at the occasion of his
80th birthday]
M. DUŠKOVÁ, I. ČERMÁKOVÁ, M. HILL, M. VAŇKOVÁ, P. ŠÁMALÍKOVÁ, L. STÁRKA
Institute of Endocrinology, Prague, Czech Republic
Received January 5, 2004
Accepted March 12, 2004
Summary
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the most common endocrinopathy in women
(with a prevalence of 5-10 %), is characterized by hormonal and metabolic
imbalance. Complexity of symptoms of close relatives of women with PCOS
and genetic autosomal trait initiated a hypothesis about the existence of
a male equivalent of PCOS. Premature alopecia was suggested as one of the
signs of a male phenotype of this syndrome. The present study investigated
a group of 30 men, in which premature hair loss started before 30 years of
age. In all patients, their hormonal profile was determined. It was
possible to form two subgroups. The first one showed similar hormonal
changes as women with PCOS, the other had either no anomalies in steroid
spectrum or just only lower level of sexual hormones binding globulin
(SHBG). Both subgroups did not differ in either BMI or age. In all men
with premature alopecia insulin tolerance test was also carried out and
the occurrence of allele 3 INS VNTR was investigated, which is one of the
candidate genes for PCOS. The subgroup with hormonal changes resembling
those of women with PCOS showed a significantly higher insulin resistance
than the group without these changes. About one third of the premature
balding men showed the combination of hormonal shifts and higher insulin
resistance. This frequency corresponds to the prevalence of PCOS in women.
There was no significant difference between the two subgroups in the
occurrence of allele 3 INS VNTR.
Key words
Premature androgenic alopecia • Polycystic ovary syndrome • SHBG • Insulin
tolerance • Male phenotype of PCOS
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