Relationship of Sex Hormones with Obesity and Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Boys with Gynecomastia

Objective: We aimed to investigate the relationship between sex hormone levels [estradiol (E2), total testosterone (TTest)] and lipid profiles, body fat distributions, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in obese boys with gynecomastia.
Methods: This prospective study included 79 obese boys with idiopathic pubertal gynecomastia between 10 and 18 years. The cases were divided into two groups as with (n=48) or without (n=31) NAFLD determined by ultrasonography.
Results: E2 levels had a significant positive correlation with age, body mass index, and fat mass of the patients and had a negative correlation with high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) (p<0.05). TTest levels had a significant positive correlation with age of the patients and a negative correlation with HDL-C, percent of body fat (PBF) (%), and percent of trunk fat (PTF) (p<0.05). There was no significant difference in terms of sex hormone levels between the two groups with and without NAFLD (p>0.05).
Conclusion: The results of this study reveal that as the PBF and PTF increase, the TTest levels of the patients decrease and as the fat mass increases, the E2 levels increase significantly. We could not find a significant relationship between sex hormones and the presence of NAFLD.