[News] Polycystic ovary syndrome in men: Stein-Leventhal syndrome revisited.

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Polycystic ovary syndrome in men:  Stein-Leventhal syndrome revisited.

Med Hypotheses. 2006 Nov  27

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abst
ractPlus&list_uids=17134841&itool=pubmed_DocSum

PCOS  is also referred to as Stein-Leventhal Syndrome.  It is characterized 
by  hyperandrogenism, hyperinsulinemia, central obesity, polycystic ovaries, 
and  anovulation. However, some of these manifestations, including the 
polycystic  ovaries, are neither specific for the disorder, nor found in all affected  
individuals. Since the primary defect underlying PCOS may be an upstream  
endocrine and/or metabolic disturbance, rather than a defect in the ovaries  
themselves, we hypothesize that this aberration can also arise in men and that  the 
absence of polycystic ovaries in men with other stigmata of the disorder  
should not eliminate the diagnosis. PCOS-type manifestations are not limited to  
women. Indeed, male relatives may suffer from insulin resistance, obesity,  
diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease. Therefore, recognition of this  
syndrome in men is important, since pharmacologic treatments identified for  
women with PCOS may alleviate metabolic problems related to insulin resistance  
and its sequelae in men with a similar underlying defect. We suggest that  
first-degree relatives of patients with PCOS should be examined not only for  
phenotypic features characteristic of PCOS but also for biochemical evidence of  
hyperinsulinemia and hyperandrogenism. In addition to examining these  
individuals for obesity, the women should be evaluated for hirsutism and the men  
should be screened for early-onset male-pattern alopecia and excess hairiness.  

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