Minipuberty in Male Full-term Neonates Appropriate and Small for Gestational Age and in Preterm Babies: Data from a Single Centre
Alessandra Boncompagni,
Elisa Pietrella,
Erica Passini,
Chiarina Grisolia,
Mara Tagliazucchi,
Enrico Tagliafico,
Licia Lugli,
Alberto Berardi,
Lorenzo Iughetti,
Laura Lucaccioni
Affiliations
Alessandra Boncompagni
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences of Mothers, Children and Adults, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Modena, Italy
Elisa Pietrella
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences of Mothers, Children and Adults, Paediatric Unit, Modena, Italy
Erica Passini
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences of Mothers, Children and Adults, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Modena, Italy
Chiarina Grisolia
AOU/AUSL Modena, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Diagnostic Hematology and Clinical Genomics Laboratory, Modena, Italy
Mara Tagliazucchi
AOU/AUSL Modena, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Diagnostic Hematology and Clinical Genomics Laboratory, Modena, Italy
Enrico Tagliafico
AOU/AUSL Modena, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Diagnostic Hematology and Clinical Genomics Laboratory, Modena, Italy
Licia Lugli
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences of Mothers, Children and Adults, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Modena, Italy
Alberto Berardi
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences of Mothers, Children and Adults, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Modena, Italy
Lorenzo Iughetti
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences of Mothers, Children and Adults, Paediatric Unit, Modena, Italy
Laura Lucaccioni
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences of Mothers, Children and Adults, Paediatric Unit, Modena, Italy
INTRODUCTION: The postnatal activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis is usually known as 'minipuberty'. There are still open questions about its biological function and significance depending on sex, gestational age (GA) and birth weight (BW) with few available longitudinal data. METHODS: A single-centre, longitudinal study to quantify urinary follicle stimulating hormone (uFSH), luteinizing hormone (uLH) and testosterone (uTs) in male neonates. Neonates were enrolled and stratified into three subgroups: full-term boys appropriate for GA (FT AGA); FT boys with BW ≤3rd centile [FT small for gestational age (SGA)]; and preterm (PT) boys ≤33 weeks of GA. Urinary hormones were correlated to simultaneous auxological parameters, linear growth and external genitalia at scheduled time-points. RESULTS: Forty-six boys were recruited, with subgroup sizes FT AGA n=23, FT SGA n=11 and PT n=12. PT boys display a pulsatile pattern of urinary gonadotropins (uGns) with higher levels of uLH and a gradual increase of uTs. Testicular descent started from 29-32 weeks with the peak of uTs. During the first 12-months post-term age (PTA), FT AGA boys displayed a better linear growth (p<0.05). PT showed higher uGns levels until 3-months PTA. PT babies had higher uLH levels than FT AGA, with a peak at 7 and 30 days, during the first 90 days of life (p<0.001) and higher uTs levels. Correlation analysis between penile growth of all neonates and uTs was significant (p=0.04) but not within subgroups. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This study investigated postnatal HPG axis activation in term and PT infants. Minipuberty may involve an early window of opportunity to evaluate the functionality of the HPG axis. Further studies with a long-term follow-up are needed with a special focus on possible consequences of GA and BW.
