SHBG Levels in Primary Infertile Men: a Critical Interpretation in Clinical Practice

Overview

Journal Endocr Connect

Specialty Endocrinology

Date 2020 Jun 11

PMID 32520727

Citations 1

Authors

Luca Boeri

Paolo Capogrosso

Walter Cazzaniga

Edoardo Pozzi

Luigi Candela

Federico Belladelli

Davide Oreggia

Eugenio Ventimiglia

Nicolo Schifano

Giuseppe Fallara

Marina Pontillo

Costantino Abbate

Emanuele Montanari

Francesco Montorsi

Andrea Salonia

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: We aimed to test the association between age, BMI and sex-hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) in a homogenous cohort of white-European men presenting for primary couple's infertility.

Design: Retrospective study.

Methods: Data from 1547 infertile men were analysed. Health-significant comorbidities were scored with the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI). Fasting serum hormones were measured in every patient. Age was considered according to quartile groups (<33, 33-41, >41 years) and BMI as normal weight (18.5-24.9 kg/m2), overweight (25.0-29.9 kg/m2) and obesity (>30 kg/m2). Descriptive statistics and linear regression analysis tested the associations between age, BMI and SHBG.

Results: Median SHBG levels increased across quartiles of age and decreased along with BMI increases (all P < 0.001). For each year increase in age, SHBG increased 0.32 nmol/L; conversely, for each unit increase in BMI, SHBG decreased by 1.1 nmol/L (all P < 0.001). SHBG levels decline with increasing BMI was greater than SHBG progressive increase with age. Overall, BMI explained 3.0 times more of the variability in SHBG than did ageing. At multivariate linear model, age and BMI were the most significant factors influencing SHBG concentration (all P < 0.001), after accounting for CCI, albumin levels and smoking status.

Conclusions: We found a wide distribution of SHBG concentrations across age and BMI values in primary infertile men. The association between BMI and lowered SHBG levels seems to be greater than the association of ageing with increased SHBG.

Citing Articles

Correlation between serum sex hormone-binding globulin levels and nutrition indicators and malnutrition exposure risk in men and postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes.

Lin J, Wu W, Weng Y, Lan Y, Wen Y, Lai S BMC Endocr Disord. 2024; 24(1):117.

PMID: 39020340 PMC: 11253498. DOI: 10.1186/s12902-024-01653-x.

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