Sex hormones and lipoproteins in adolescent male offspring of parents with premature coronary heart disease and a control group.

OBJECTIVE

To compare pubertal maturation, sex steroid hormones, and lipoproteins and their interrelationships in male offspring of parents with premature coronary heart disease (cases) and a control group.

DESIGN

This was a cross-sectional comparison of cases and members of a control group 10 to 15 years of age.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Offspring were recruited from patient lists of area physicians. Members of the control group were recruited from area schools. Body mass (kg/m2), serum lipids, lipoproteins, apolipoproteins, estradiol, and free testosterone were measured.

RESULTS

Differences in age were not significant, but offspring were taller, heavier, and more mature. Offspring had higher total and low density lipoprotein cholesterol. Offspring had lower estradiol levels in early puberty but higher levels in late puberty. With family history and body mass in the regression models for lipid parameters, free testosterone was a significant explanatory factor for total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein, and estradiol was a significant predictor for apolipoprotein B. The percent of the variance in the lipid parameters explained by testosterone and estradiol was small.

CONCLUSION

Sex hormone concentrations appear to be modest but significant predictors of lipoprotein and apolipoprotein concentrations in offspring and a control group in cross-sectional analysis. After controlling for pubertal maturation, hormone and lipid concentrations differed in offspring and the control group.