ECEESPE2025 ePoster Presentations Reproductive and Developmental Endocrinology (128 abstracts)
Biochemical hyperandrogenism: a diagnostic pitfall
Yassmine Abdelkafi 1 , Khouloud Boujelben 1 , Mouna Elleuch 1 , Hamdi Frikha 1 , Dhoha Ben Salah 1 , Faten Haj Kacem Akid 1 , Mouna Mnif 1 , Mohamed Abid 1 , Nadia Charfi 1 & Nabila Rekik Majdoub 1
1Hedi Chaker University Hospital, Endocrinology Department, Sfax, Tunisia
JOINT2594
Introduction: Biochemical hyperandrogenism, defined by an elevated serum testosterone level, is a frequent reason for endocrine consultation. However, the absence of clinical signs of hyperandrogenism challenges the diagnosis and requires thorough investigation to identify potential physiological, pathological, or analytical interferences.
Observation: We report the case of a 34-year-old woman referred for the evaluation of isolated biochemical hyperandrogenism, with elevated total testosterone levels (up to 3.76 ng/ml) but no clinical signs of hyperandrogenism or virilization. The patient had a history of cyclic metrorrhagia treated with norethisterone (Primolut Nor). Comprehensive hormonal and imaging assessments, including adrenal and ovarian MRI, ruled out tumoral and non-tumoral endocrine causes. Notably, after discontinuation of Primolut Nor, serum testosterone levels gradually normalized (0.24 ng/ml at two months and 0.21 ng/ml at three months post-withdrawal).
Discussion and Conclusions: This case illustrates the pitfall of analytical interference in the assessment of biochemical hyperandrogenism. Norethisterone, a synthetic progestin, is structurally similar to anabolic steroids and has been reported to cross-react with certain immunoassays for testosterone measurement, leading to falsely elevated results. This highlights the importance of considering drug-induced analytical interference in cases of discordance between biochemical and clinical findings. Confirmatory methods such as liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) should be considered in doubtful cases to avoid unnecessaryinvestigations and misdiagnosis.
Volume 110
Article tools
My recent searches
My recently viewed abstracts
Authors
Endocrine Abstracts
ISSN 1470-3947 (print) | ISSN 1479-6848 (online)
© Bioscientifica 2025 |
Privacy policy |
Cookie settings
BiosciAbstracts
Bioscientifica Abstracts is the gateway to a series of products that provide a permanent, citable record of abstracts for biomedical and life science conferences.
Find out more