c-peptide and Hirsutism

To investigate insulin metabolism and its modifications induced by the administration of flutamide, a specific antiandrogen compound, in women with idiopathic hirsutism (IH) and in nonobese women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).. Prospective, randomized trial.. Endocrinological Centre of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Caligari, Caligari, Italy.. Thirty-two women with normal body mass index participated in the study: 11 with clinical and hormonal features of PCOS and 21 age- and weight-matched normally cycling women with IH (n = 11) and without IH (n = 10, controls).. Each subject with PCOS or IH was assigned randomly to receive either flutamide tablets (250 mg twice a day) or placebo for > or =5 months. Twelve subjects (6 with PCOS, 6 with IH) received flutamide and 10 (5 with PCOS, 5 with IH) received placebo. All subjects ingested 75 g of glucose and then underwent an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), 3-7 days after spontaneous or medroxyprogesterone acetate (5 mg daily for 5 days)-induced menses. In women with PCOS or IH, the OGTT was repeated at the fourth month of treatment.. Fasting and OGTT-stimulated levels of glucose, insulin, and C peptide.. Both fasting and OGTT-stimulated levels of insulin and C peptide were significantly higher in women with PCOS and in those with IH than in controls. Placebo did not modify parameters of glucose metabolism. Flutamide was capable of significantly blunting fasting and OGTT-stimulated secretion of insulin only in women with IH.. Hyperinsulinemia exists in women with IH as well as in nonobese women with PCOS. Treatment with flutamide can completely reverse hyperinsulinemia only in women with IH, which suggests that the efficacy of the drug is dependent on peripheral androgen hyperactivity.

Topics: Adult; Androgen Antagonists; Blood Glucose; C-Peptide; Female; Flutamide; Follicle Stimulating Hormone; Glucose Tolerance Test; Hirsutism; Humans; Hyperinsulinism; Insulin; Insulin Secretion; Luteinizing Hormone; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome; Prospective Studies

The effects and side effects of long-term treatment with cyproterone acetate (CPA) are described. Hammerstein's reverse sequential regimen (10 days 100 mg CPA, 21 days 50 micrograms ethinylestradiol (EE)) was used in most cases, although postmenopausal and hysterectomized women received 50 mg CPA/day continuously as monotherapy. The degree of androgenization was assessed in 143 of a total group of 188 women treated from 1968 to the present. The results of the treatment were good or very good in about 75% of hirsutism patients and in more than 90% of acne patients. Adverse events were recorded in 23% of cases. Most were mild and transient, and caused discontinuation of the therapy in only 9% of patients. From this population representing all cases treated and analysed retrospectively, a subgroup of patients was selected for a prospective investigation. Thirty-five patients with good response to CPA and longlasting therapy were included into this 2-year follow-up study; of these, 24 had previously received CPA for 5 or more years, 9 for more than 10 years and 2 for more than 15 years. Treatment in these patients consisted of 5 different regimens of various doses of CPA combined with EE and CPA alone in order to evaluate possible effects of concomitant estrogen treatment as well as a possible dose- or time-dependency of potential side effects. Clinicochemical, metabolic and endocrine parameters were determined at the start and end of the study. The hematological and clinicochemical parameters were within the normal ranges. There was a slight decrease of glucose tolerance and a moderate increase of insulin and C peptide after oral glucose loading. The effects of CPA and EE on lipometabolism were slight and apparently dependent on the dose of CPA and the therapeutic regimen. No suppression of adrenal function or of responsiveness to ACTH was seen. Fasting prolactin levels and serum prolactin concentrations after provocation with metoclopramide did not show any gross deviations. Sonography of the breast and liver did not show any abnormalities apart from adenofibrosis or mastopathy in 2 patients. In conclusion, CPA with or without EE was in our hands an effective and safe method of long-term treatment of hirsutism and/or acne in women.

Topics: Acne Vulgaris; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; Blood Glucose; C-Peptide; Cyproterone Acetate; Ethinyl Estradiol; Female; Glucose Tolerance Test; Hirsutism; Humans; Hysterectomy; Insulin; Kinetics; Postmenopause; Prolactin; Prospective Studies; Retrospective Studies

Hyperandrogenism is the pathological condition, which clinical signs are "androgendependent dermopathies" (seborrhea, acne, hirsutism, alopecia) and not in every cases evidence with hyperandrogenemia. Free testosterone is the most frequent marker of hyperandrogenism, but its determination routinely not feasible in all laboratories. Therefore, some models for calculating free and bioavailable testosterone have been developed. In women the testosterone sources are not only ovaries and adrenal glands, but also abdominal and peripheral fat. There are many investigations to definite correlations between body mass index, androgens and sex hormone binding globulin. The aim of this study was to define the correlations between clinical, biochemical markers of hyperandrogenism and body mass index, with regard of abdominal obesity in young women with hirsutism. 83 female adolescents (14-20 year) with hirsutism and 20 female adolescents in control group were included. C-peptide, estradiol, total testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) were measured. Free androgen index (FAI), free (cFT) and bioavailable (Bio-T) testosterone were calculated. The levels of C-peptide and glucose were used to compute Homa-IR (homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance). There were detected significant high levels by all hormonal parameters of hyperandrogenism in women with hirsutism, than in control group. In patients with abdominal obesity were also found significant high levels by all calculated parameters of hyperandrogenism and significant low level of steroid-bind globulin, than in patients with central obesity. In two groups by hirsutism degree were not detected any differences between androgen markers. The findigs of this research suggest, that android obesity in female adolescents with hirsutism can cause harder hyperandrogenism and elevate free androgen index, free and bioavailable testosterone levels. The prophylactic reduction of body mass index may prevent complications.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Androgens; Blood Glucose; Body Mass Index; C-Peptide; Estradiol; Female; Hirsutism; Humans; Hyperandrogenism; Menarche; Obesity, Abdominal; Prospective Studies; Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin; Testosterone; Young Adult

Beta cell hypersecretion is associated with the syndrome of hyperandrogenism, insulin resistance, and acanthosis nigricans. It is unknown whether concomitant alpha cell secretory dysfunction occurs in patients with this syndrome. The authors evaluated the gastroenteropancreatic hormones in four family members with varying degrees of the hyperandrogenism, insulin resistance, and acanthosis nigricans syndrome. Gastroenteropancreatic hormones were measured during oral glucose tolerance test with and without subcutaneous octreotide injection. The study revealed that the administration of subcutaneous octreotide resulted in suppression of beta cell function (insulin and c-peptide) but had no effect or a delayed effect on alpha cell secretion (glucagon). Furthermore, the severity of glucagon abnormalities paralleled that of beta cell hypersecretion and the clinical and phenotypic manifestations of acanthosis nigricans in our four patients. We speculate that this alpha cell aberration could potentially be involved in the altered glucose homeostasis and perhaps the skin manifestations of this syndrome. Therefore, glucagon levels should be evaluated in the hormonal studies in patients with hyperandrogenism, insulin resistance, and acanthosis nigricans syndrome.

Topics: Acanthosis Nigricans; Adolescent; Adult; C-Peptide; Child; Female; Glucagon; Glucose Tolerance Test; Hirsutism; Humans; Hyperinsulinism; Insulin; Insulin Secretion; Islets of Langerhans; Male; Octreotide; Pancreas

The relationship between adipose tissue distribution, androgen levels, and metabolic complications of obesity was studied in 20 hirsute and 20 nonhirsute obese premenopausal women. The group of hirsute women showed preferentially an upper body type of obesity as assessed by the waist-to-hip ratio (0.902 + 0.017 v 0.778 +/- 0.015, P less than .01). They had higher serum concentrations of total testosterone (100.4 + 11.7 v 48.8 +/- 4.5 ng/dL, P less than .01) and lower levels of serum sex-hormone-binding globulin (28.1 +/- 3.6 v 44.0 + 4.2 nmol/L, P less than .05) exhibiting an increased androgenic activity as compared to the nonhirsute women. Serum glucose and insulin levels after an oral glucose load were significantly higher in the hirsute women. In addition, the group of hirsute females has significantly higher fasting concentrations of total cholesterol (5.82 +/- 0.28 v 4.75 +/- 0.14 mmol/L, P less than .05) and triglycerides (2.51 +/- 0.38 v 1.14 +/- 0.10 mmol/L, P less than .01). The hirsute group also showed higher systolic (166.7 +/- 5.1 v 142.1 +/- 4.5 mm Hg, P less than .01) and diastolic (100.9 +/- 3.6 v 85.2 +/- 2.5 mm Hg, P less than .01) blood pressure values than the nonhirsute women. Analysis of correlation revealed that an increasing waist-to-hip ratio was accompanied by increasing testosterone levels (r = .39, P less than .05) and by decreasing sex-hormone-binding globulin levels (r = .37, P less than .05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Topics: Adipose Tissue; Adult; Blood Pressure; C-Peptide; Cholesterol; Female; Hirsutism; Hormones; Humans; Hydrocortisone; Insulin; Obesity; Testosterone

Detailed studies of a family with hyperinsulinemia are reported. The index patient, a 30-yr-old woman with polycystic ovary syndrome, presented with gestational diabetes which was completely resistant to insulin in the presence of severe endogenous hyperinsulinemia. Sensitivity to insulin was regained after delivery. Therapy with cyproterone acetate and ethinyl estradiol for hirsutism exacerbated the hyperinsulinemia toward the levels occurring in pregnancy, with a concomitant deterioration of glucose tolerance. Five other members of her family also were found to have hyperinsulinemia together with high concentrations of circulating C-peptide. Antibodies to insulin and to insulin receptors were not detected, insulin antagonists were not increased, and insulin degradation in the circulation was normal. Insulin extracted from the patient's serum was identical to normal insulin by the criteria of Sephadex chromatography, placental membrane insulin receptor binding, and stimulation of 2-deoxyglucose uptake in isolated rat adipocytes. Although [125I]insulin binding to erythrocytes of all family members and to the patient's placental membranes was markedly reduced, binding to fibroblast cultures from the patient was normal. Insulin-stimulated glucose transport in these fibroblasts also was normal, but there was a mild (20%) reduction in the concentration of cytochalasin B-binding sites in erythrocyte ghosts. Insulin resistance in this family may be due to a partial defect distal to the insulin receptor. This is asymptomatic unless metabolic stresses (pregnancy or steroid administration) are superimposed.

Topics: Adult; C-Peptide; Cytochalasin B; Erythrocytes; Female; Fibroblasts; Hirsutism; Humans; Insulin; Insulin Antibodies; Insulin Resistance; Peptides; Placenta; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications; Pregnancy in Diabetics; Receptor, Insulin; Somatomedins

Carbohydrate metabolism was studied in a group of 66 women, taking cyproterone acetate (CA) and ethinyloestradiol (EO) as anti-androgen therapy for the treatment of hirsutism and/or acne. A reverse sequential treatment cycle was used and women were studied in two groups: the first when taking the combination of CA and EO during the first 12 days of the treatment cycle, and the second taking EO alone during days 13 to 22. The combination reduced fasting plasma glucose and raised fasting plasma insulin concentrations. There was deterioration of glucose tolerance with increased plasma insulin concentrations and these effects were progressive with time. The plasma insulin response to intravenous tolbutamide was increased by 50% but there was no accompanying change in the glucose nadir as compared with controls. These results show that the combination of CA and EO causes insulin resistance. Plasma C-peptide concentrations following oral glucose were unchanged compared with controls. This shows that the observed hyperinsulinaemia was due to a reduction of hepatic uptake of insulin rather than its increased secretion. We propose that these effects are due to a CA-induced elevation of fasting plasma insulin resulting in downregulation of hepatic insulin receptors with subsequent induction of insulin resistance and impairment of hepatic insulin uptake. C-peptide concentrations following i.v. tolbutamide were significantly higher on treatment with CA and EO than in controls indicating increased pancreatic secretion of insulin. Tests carried out while patients were taking EO alone showed impairment of glucose tolerance only with no change in insulin levels. There was an increase in plasma insulin in response to tolbutamide but this was not significant. We conclude that these results are explained by a reduced but persisting effect of CA.

Topics: Acne Vulgaris; Adolescent; Adult; Blood Glucose; C-Peptide; Carbohydrate Metabolism; Cyproterone; Cyproterone Acetate; Drug Therapy, Combination; Ethinyl Estradiol; Fasting; Female; Glucose Tolerance Test; Hirsutism; Humans; Insulin; Insulin Resistance; Tolbutamide