Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Murialdo, Giovanni
• Galimberti, Carlo Andrea
• Fonzi, Stefano
• Manni, Raffaele
• Costelli, Patrizia
• Parodi, Cristina
• Solinas, Gian Piero
• Amoretti, Guido
• Tartara, Amelia

Titel

Sex Hormones and Pituitary Function in Male Epileptic Patients with Altered or Normal Sexuality

Ist Teil von

• Epilepsia (Copenhagen), 1995-04, Vol.36 (4), p.360-365

Ort / Verlag

Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Erscheinungsjahr

1995

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Summary Male epileptic patients frequently complain of sexual dysfunction, particularly impotence and loss of libido. Epilepsy itself, antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), and psychosocial factors are believed to contribute to impaired sexuality. We studied luteinizing hormone (LH) ulsatile secretion, gonadotropin, and prolactin (PRL) esponses to LH‐releasing hormone (LHRH) and thyrotropin‐releasing hormone (TRH) in 37 adult male epileptic patients receiving AED monotherapy who were seizure‐free and had normal EEGs. Sexuality was assessed by psychological interview. Impotence was diagnosed in 8 patients (in 2 combined with loss of sexual desire). The occurrence of hyposexuality (‐20%) was independent of epilepsy syndrome or AED. No change in total testosterone (T) level was observed. Free T (ft)and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels were lower and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) levels were higher in epileptic subjects than in healthy controls, but a statistically significant difference was not observed between hypo‐ and normosexual patients. In impotent epileptic patients, estradiol (E2) levels were significantly increased as compared with those of patients with preserved sexuality and of healthy controls. The unbalanced relation between androgen and E2 levels was emphasized by decreased fT/E2, fT/E2, and DHT/E2 ratios obtained in hyposexual epileptic patients. In this group, LHRH induced blunted LH peaks. No changes were noted in LH pulsatility features. These findings of higher E2 levels and of decreased LH response to LHRH administration in some epileptic patients with impaired sexuality, may suggest they have subclinical hypogonadotropic hypogonadism.