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Is there Hypothalamic - Pituitary - Gonadal Dysfunction in Paedophilia?

A Pilot Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Gary R. Gaffney*
Affiliation:
Department of Child Psychiatry, University of Iowa College of Medicine, 500 Newton Road, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
Fred S. Berlin
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA
*
Correspondence

Summary

The hypothalamic - pituitary - gonadal axis was evaluated in men with paedophilia and non-paedophilic paraphilia, and in normal male controls, by infusion of 100 meg. of synthetic luteinising hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH). There were no significant differences among groups in age, height, weight, testosterone, baseline luteinising hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), and FSH response to LHRH. However, there was a significant difference between the paedophilic group and the other two groups in the LH response to LHRH. The paedophiles responded with a marked elevation of LH, when compared with the non-paedophilic paraphiliacs and controls. These data indicate a hypothalamic - pituitary - gonadal dysfunction in paedophiles.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © 1984 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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