Abstract
As part of a longitudinal study of normal puberty, 14 boys who developed gynecomastia and 6 normal boys were followed at 6 month intervals from age 11 to 17 years. Serum levels of E1, E2, Δ4, T, DHEA, DHEA-S and PRL were measured at each interval. Mean age at onset of gynecomastia was 14.0±0.28 years, mean bone age 13.0±0.26 years and mean pubertal stage 2.9±0.13. Over the course of puberty there were no significant differences in mean levels of these hormones. However, ratios of E1/Δ4, E1/DHEA and E1/DHEA-S were consistently higher in the gynecomastia group between ages 12½ and 15 years. The same tendency was noted for these ratios for bone age years 12½ to 15 and pubertal stages 2 through 4. Conversely the ratio of E2/T remained essentially the same between the two groups. These results suggest that either adrenal secretions or increased peripheral conversion of Δ4 to E1 may play a role in the appearance of pubertal gynecomastia in normal boys.
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