Table of Contents
What does Kallmann syndrome affect?
Kallmann syndrome (KS) is a condition that causes hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH) and an impaired sense of smell. HH affects the production of the hormones needed for sexual development. It is present from birth and is due to deficiency of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH).
Does Kallmann syndrome affect the brain?
Kallmann syndrome combines an impaired sense of smell with a hormonal disorder that delays or prevents puberty. The hormonal disorder is due to underdevelopment of specific neurons, or nerves, in the brain that signal the hypothalamus.
How does Kallmann syndrome cause infertility?
The underlying cause is a failure in the correct production or activity of gonadotropin-releasing hormone by the hypothalamus. This results in low levels of the sex hormones testosterone in males or oestrogen and progesterone in females.
Can you get pregnant with Kallmann syndrome?
Infertility among women with Kallmann syndrome is caused by inadequate hypothalamic secretion of GnRH. As a result, LH and FSH are not secreted from the pituitary gland and follicle growth does not occur. Therefore, ovulation induction is essential for pregnancy in these cases.
Can Kallmann syndrome have kids?
Kallmann syndrome is an inherited condition causing the body to not make enough sex hormones. If left untreated, your child will not enter puberty and will not be able to have children.
What causes Kallmann anosmia?
Kallmann syndrome is hypogondotropic hypogonadism with abnormal olfactory function (anosmia or hyposmia) in humans, which is caused by failed migration of GnRH neurons from the nasal placode into the brain. Mutations in several genes are shown to be associated with Kallmann syndrome.
Can men with Kallmann syndrome have kids?
How many people have Kallmann?
Kallmann syndrome occurs more often in males than in females, with an estimated prevalence of 1 in 30,000 males and 1 in 120,000 females.
How does Kallmann syndrome affect smell?
In Kallmann syndrome, the sense of smell is either diminished (hyposmia) or completely absent (anosmia). This feature distinguishes Kallmann syndrome from most other forms of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, which do not affect the sense of smell.
Why does Kallmann syndrome affect smell?
Studies suggest that mutations in genes associated with Kallmann syndrome disrupt the migration of olfactory nerve cells and GnRH-producing nerve cells in the developing brain. If olfactory nerve cells do not extend to the olfactory bulb, a person’s sense of smell will be impaired or absent.