U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Format

Send to:

Choose Destination

Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism 6 with or without anosmia(HH6)

MedGen UID:
765488
Concept ID:
C3552574
Disease or Syndrome
Synonyms: HH6; HYPOGONADOTROPIC HYPOGONADISM 6 WITH ANOSMIA; HYPOGONADOTROPIC HYPOGONADISM 6 WITHOUT ANOSMIA; Kallmann syndrome 6
 
Gene (location): FGF8 (10q24.32)
 
Monarch Initiative: MONDO:0012988
OMIM®: 612702

Disease characteristics

Isolated gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) deficiency (IGD) is characterized by inappropriately low serum concentrations of the gonadotropins LH (luteinizing hormone) and FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) in the presence of low circulating concentrations of sex steroids. IGD is associated with a normal sense of smell (normosmic IGD) in approximately 40% of affected individuals and an impaired sense of smell (Kallmann syndrome) in approximately 60%. IGD can first become apparent in infancy, adolescence, or adulthood. Infant boys with congenital IGD often have micropenis and cryptorchidism. Adolescents and adults with IGD have clinical evidence of hypogonadism and incomplete sexual maturation on physical examination. Adult males with IGD tend to have prepubertal testicular volume (i.e., <4 mL), absence of secondary sexual features (e.g., facial and axillary hair growth, deepening of the voice), decreased muscle mass, diminished libido, erectile dysfunction, and infertility. Adult females have little or no breast development and primary amenorrhea. Although skeletal maturation is delayed, the rate of linear growth is usually normal except for the absence of a distinct pubertal growth spurt. [from GeneReviews]
Authors:
Ravikumar Balasubramanian  |  William F Crowley   view full author information

Additional descriptions

From OMIM
Congenital idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (IHH) is a disorder characterized by absent or incomplete sexual maturation by the age of 18 years, in conjunction with low levels of circulating gonadotropins and testosterone and no other abnormalities of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. Idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism can be caused by an isolated defect in gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GNRH; 152760) release, action, or both. Other associated nonreproductive phenotypes, such as anosmia, cleft palate, and sensorineural hearing loss, occur with variable frequency. In the presence of anosmia, idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism has been called 'Kallmann syndrome (KS),' whereas in the presence of a normal sense of smell, it has been termed 'normosmic idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (nIHH)' (summary by Raivio et al., 2007). Because families have been found to segregate both KS and nIHH, the disorder is here referred to as 'hypogonadotropic hypogonadism with or without anosmia (HH).' For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism with or without anosmia as well as a discussion of oligogenicity of this disorder, see 147950.  http://www.omim.org/entry/612702
From MedlinePlus Genetics
Kallmann syndrome is a condition characterized by delayed or absent puberty and an impaired sense of smell.

Kallmann syndrome can have a wide variety of additional signs and symptoms. These include a failure of one kidney to develop (unilateral renal agenesis), abnormalities of bones in the fingers or toes, a cleft lip with or without an opening in the roof of the mouth (a cleft palate), abnormal eye movements, hearing loss, and abnormalities of tooth development. Some affected individuals have a feature called bimanual synkinesis, in which the movements of one hand are mirrored by the other hand. Bimanual synkinesis can make it difficult to do tasks that require the hands to move separately, such as playing a musical instrument.

This disorder is a form of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, which is a condition resulting from a lack of production of certain hormones that direct sexual development. These hormones are normally made in a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. Males born with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism often have an unusually small penis (micropenis) and undescended testes (cryptorchidism). At puberty, most affected individuals do not develop secondary sex characteristics, such as the growth of facial hair and deepening of the voice in males, the start of monthly periods (menstruation) and breast development in females, and a growth spurt in both sexes. Without treatment, most affected men and women are unable to have biological children (infertile).

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. Many people with Kallmann syndrome are not aware that they are unable to detect odors until the impairment is discovered through testing.  https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/kallmann-syndrome

Clinical features

From HPO
Cryptorchidism
MedGen UID:
8192
Concept ID:
C0010417
Congenital Abnormality
Cryptorchidism, or failure of testicular descent, is a common human congenital abnormality with a multifactorial etiology that likely reflects the involvement of endocrine, environmental, and hereditary factors. Cryptorchidism can result in infertility and increases risk for testicular tumors. Testicular descent from abdomen to scrotum occurs in 2 distinct phases: the transabdominal phase and the inguinoscrotal phase (summary by Gorlov et al., 2002).
Primary amenorrhea
MedGen UID:
115918
Concept ID:
C0232939
Disease or Syndrome
Abnormally late or absent menarche in a female with normal secondary sexual characteristics.
Micropenis
MedGen UID:
1633603
Concept ID:
C4551492
Congenital Abnormality
Abnormally small penis. At birth, the normal penis is about 3 cm (stretched length from pubic tubercle to tip of penis) with micropenis less than 2.0-2.5 cm.
Sensorineural hearing loss disorder
MedGen UID:
9164
Concept ID:
C0018784
Disease or Syndrome
A type of hearing impairment in one or both ears related to an abnormal functionality of the cochlear nerve.
Anosmia
MedGen UID:
1950
Concept ID:
C0003126
Finding
An inability to perceive odors. This is a general term describing inability to smell arising in any part of the process of smelling from absorption of odorants into the nasal mucous overlying the olfactory epithelium, diffusion to the cilia, binding to olfactory receptor sites, generation of action potentials in olfactory neurons, and perception of a smell.
Hyposmia
MedGen UID:
473584
Concept ID:
C2364082
Finding
A decreased sensitivity to odorants (that is, a decreased ability to perceive odors).
Small pituitary gland
MedGen UID:
868479
Concept ID:
C4022873
Anatomical Abnormality
An abnormally decreased size of the pituitary gland.
Delayed skeletal maturation
MedGen UID:
108148
Concept ID:
C0541764
Finding
A decreased rate of skeletal maturation. Delayed skeletal maturation can be diagnosed on the basis of an estimation of the bone age from radiographs of specific bones in the human body.
High palate
MedGen UID:
66814
Concept ID:
C0240635
Congenital Abnormality
Height of the palate more than 2 SD above the mean (objective) or palatal height at the level of the first permanent molar more than twice the height of the teeth (subjective).
Cleft lip
MedGen UID:
1370297
Concept ID:
C4321245
Anatomical Abnormality
A gap in the lip or lips.
Delayed puberty
MedGen UID:
46203
Concept ID:
C0034012
Pathologic Function
Passing the age when puberty normally occurs with no physical or hormonal signs of the onset of puberty.
Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism
MedGen UID:
82883
Concept ID:
C0271623
Disease or Syndrome
Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism is characterized by reduced function of the gonads (testes in males or ovaries in females) and results from the absence of the gonadal stimulating pituitary hormones

Professional guidelines

PubMed

Jankovic J, Tan EK
J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2020 Aug;91(8):795-808. Epub 2020 Jun 23 doi: 10.1136/jnnp-2019-322338. PMID: 32576618
Bhasin S, Brito JP, Cunningham GR, Hayes FJ, Hodis HN, Matsumoto AM, Snyder PJ, Swerdloff RS, Wu FC, Yialamas MA
J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2018 May 1;103(5):1715-1744. doi: 10.1210/jc.2018-00229. PMID: 29562364
Stamou MI, Georgopoulos NA
Metabolism 2018 Sep;86:124-134. Epub 2017 Nov 3 doi: 10.1016/j.metabol.2017.10.012. PMID: 29108899Free PMC Article

Recent clinical studies

Etiology

Huijben M, Lock MTWT, de Kemp VF, Beck JJH, De Kort LMO, van Breda HMK
Endocrinol Diabetes Metab 2023 May;6(3):e416. Epub 2023 Mar 30 doi: 10.1002/edm2.416. PMID: 36998229Free PMC Article
Yan CH, Jang SS, Lin HC, Ma Y, Khanwalkar AR, Thai A, Patel ZM
Int Forum Allergy Rhinol 2023 Jun;13(6):989-997. Epub 2022 Dec 21 doi: 10.1002/alr.23116. PMID: 36507615Free PMC Article
Bhasin S, Lincoff AM, Basaria S, Bauer DC, Boden WE, Cunningham GR, Davey D, Dubcenco E, Fukumoto S, Garcia M, Granger CB, Kalahasti V, Khera M, Miller MG, Mitchell LM, O'Leary MP, Pencina KM, Snyder PJ, Thompson IM Jr, Travison TG, Wolski K, Nissen SE; TRAVERSE Study Investigators
Am Heart J 2022 Mar;245:41-50. Epub 2021 Dec 4 doi: 10.1016/j.ahj.2021.11.016. PMID: 34871580
Burges Watson DL, Campbell M, Hopkins C, Smith B, Kelly C, Deary V
PLoS One 2021;16(9):e0256998. Epub 2021 Sep 24 doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256998. PMID: 34559820Free PMC Article
Miraoui H, Dwyer AA, Sykiotis GP, Plummer L, Chung W, Feng B, Beenken A, Clarke J, Pers TH, Dworzynski P, Keefe K, Niedziela M, Raivio T, Crowley WF Jr, Seminara SB, Quinton R, Hughes VA, Kumanov P, Young J, Yialamas MA, Hall JE, Van Vliet G, Chanoine JP, Rubenstein J, Mohammadi M, Tsai PS, Sidis Y, Lage K, Pitteloud N
Am J Hum Genet 2013 May 2;92(5):725-43. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2013.04.008. PMID: 23643382Free PMC Article

Diagnosis

Dong Y, Li Y, Liu K, Han X, Liu R, Ren Y, Cong L, Zhang Q, Hou T, Song L, Tang S, Shi L, Luo Y, Kalpouzos G, Laukka EJ, Winblad B, Wang Y, Du Y, Qiu C
Alzheimers Dement 2023 Feb;19(2):589-601. Epub 2022 Sep 15 doi: 10.1002/alz.12777. PMID: 36341691
Harrington J, Palmert MR
J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2022 May 17;107(6):1739-1750. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgac054. PMID: 35100608
Butowt R, von Bartheld CS
Neuroscientist 2021 Dec;27(6):582-603. Epub 2020 Sep 11 doi: 10.1177/1073858420956905. PMID: 32914699Free PMC Article
Butler G, Purushothaman P
Minerva Pediatr 2020 Dec;72(6):484-490. Epub 2020 Aug 4 doi: 10.23736/S0026-4946.20.05968-X. PMID: 32748610
Tartaglia N, Ayari N, Howell S, D'Epagnier C, Zeitler P
Acta Paediatr 2011 Jun;100(6):851-60. Epub 2011 Apr 8 doi: 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2011.02235.x. PMID: 21342258Free PMC Article

Therapy

Yan CH, Jang SS, Lin HC, Ma Y, Khanwalkar AR, Thai A, Patel ZM
Int Forum Allergy Rhinol 2023 Jun;13(6):989-997. Epub 2022 Dec 21 doi: 10.1002/alr.23116. PMID: 36507615Free PMC Article
Nordenström A, Ahmed SF, van den Akker E, Blair J, Bonomi M, Brachet C, Broersen LHA, Claahsen-van der Grinten HL, Dessens AB, Gawlik A, Gravholt CH, Juul A, Krausz C, Raivio T, Smyth A, Touraine P, Vitali D, Dekkers OM
Eur J Endocrinol 2022 Apr 21;186(6):G9-G49. doi: 10.1530/EJE-22-0073. PMID: 35353710Free PMC Article
Bhasin S, Lincoff AM, Basaria S, Bauer DC, Boden WE, Cunningham GR, Davey D, Dubcenco E, Fukumoto S, Garcia M, Granger CB, Kalahasti V, Khera M, Miller MG, Mitchell LM, O'Leary MP, Pencina KM, Snyder PJ, Thompson IM Jr, Travison TG, Wolski K, Nissen SE; TRAVERSE Study Investigators
Am Heart J 2022 Mar;245:41-50. Epub 2021 Dec 4 doi: 10.1016/j.ahj.2021.11.016. PMID: 34871580
Zitzmann M
Andrology 2020 Nov;8(6):1598-1605. Epub 2020 Jul 30 doi: 10.1111/andr.12867. PMID: 32657051
Bhasin S, Cunningham GR, Hayes FJ, Matsumoto AM, Snyder PJ, Swerdloff RS, Montori VM; Task Force, Endocrine Society
J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2010 Jun;95(6):2536-59. doi: 10.1210/jc.2009-2354. PMID: 20525905

Prognosis

Mohanraj S, Prasad HK
Indian J Pediatr 2023 Jun;90(6):590-597. Epub 2023 May 2 doi: 10.1007/s12098-023-04577-x. PMID: 37127825
Huijben M, Lock MTWT, de Kemp VF, Beck JJH, De Kort LMO, van Breda HMK
Endocrinol Diabetes Metab 2023 May;6(3):e416. Epub 2023 Mar 30 doi: 10.1002/edm2.416. PMID: 36998229Free PMC Article
Höybye C, Tauber M
J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2022 May 17;107(6):1698-1705. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgac082. PMID: 35150573Free PMC Article
Butler G, Purushothaman P
Minerva Pediatr 2020 Dec;72(6):484-490. Epub 2020 Aug 4 doi: 10.23736/S0026-4946.20.05968-X. PMID: 32748610
Miraoui H, Dwyer AA, Sykiotis GP, Plummer L, Chung W, Feng B, Beenken A, Clarke J, Pers TH, Dworzynski P, Keefe K, Niedziela M, Raivio T, Crowley WF Jr, Seminara SB, Quinton R, Hughes VA, Kumanov P, Young J, Yialamas MA, Hall JE, Van Vliet G, Chanoine JP, Rubenstein J, Mohammadi M, Tsai PS, Sidis Y, Lage K, Pitteloud N
Am J Hum Genet 2013 May 2;92(5):725-43. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2013.04.008. PMID: 23643382Free PMC Article

Clinical prediction guides

Huijben M, Lock MTWT, de Kemp VF, Beck JJH, De Kort LMO, van Breda HMK
Endocrinol Diabetes Metab 2023 May;6(3):e416. Epub 2023 Mar 30 doi: 10.1002/edm2.416. PMID: 36998229Free PMC Article
Yan CH, Jang SS, Lin HC, Ma Y, Khanwalkar AR, Thai A, Patel ZM
Int Forum Allergy Rhinol 2023 Jun;13(6):989-997. Epub 2022 Dec 21 doi: 10.1002/alr.23116. PMID: 36507615Free PMC Article
Papazian EJ, Pinto JM
Chem Senses 2021 Jan 1;46 doi: 10.1093/chemse/bjab045. PMID: 34673938
Butler G, Purushothaman P
Minerva Pediatr 2020 Dec;72(6):484-490. Epub 2020 Aug 4 doi: 10.23736/S0026-4946.20.05968-X. PMID: 32748610
Miraoui H, Dwyer AA, Sykiotis GP, Plummer L, Chung W, Feng B, Beenken A, Clarke J, Pers TH, Dworzynski P, Keefe K, Niedziela M, Raivio T, Crowley WF Jr, Seminara SB, Quinton R, Hughes VA, Kumanov P, Young J, Yialamas MA, Hall JE, Van Vliet G, Chanoine JP, Rubenstein J, Mohammadi M, Tsai PS, Sidis Y, Lage K, Pitteloud N
Am J Hum Genet 2013 May 2;92(5):725-43. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2013.04.008. PMID: 23643382Free PMC Article

Recent systematic reviews

Lu Z, Sun Y, Zhang Y, Chen Y, Guo L, Liao Y, Kang Z, Feng X, Yue W
Transl Psychiatry 2022 Jul 5;12(1):267. doi: 10.1038/s41398-022-02027-4. PMID: 35790713Free PMC Article
Lopez-Leon S, Wegman-Ostrosky T, Ayuzo Del Valle NC, Perelman C, Sepulveda R, Rebolledo PA, Cuapio A, Villapol S
Sci Rep 2022 Jun 23;12(1):9950. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-13495-5. PMID: 35739136Free PMC Article
Malik P, Patel K, Pinto C, Jaiswal R, Tirupathi R, Pillai S, Patel U
J Med Virol 2022 Jan;94(1):253-262. Epub 2021 Sep 7 doi: 10.1002/jmv.27309. PMID: 34463956Free PMC Article
Gómez-Ochoa SA, Franco OH, Rojas LZ, Raguindin PF, Roa-Díaz ZM, Wyssmann BM, Guevara SLR, Echeverría LE, Glisic M, Muka T
Am J Epidemiol 2021 Jan 4;190(1):161-175. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwaa191. PMID: 32870978Free PMC Article
Christou MA, Christou PA, Markozannes G, Tsatsoulis A, Mastorakos G, Tigas S
Sports Med 2017 Sep;47(9):1869-1883. doi: 10.1007/s40279-017-0709-z. PMID: 28258581

Supplemental Content

Table of contents

    Clinical resources

    Practice guidelines

    • PubMed
      See practice and clinical guidelines in PubMed. The search results may include broader topics and may not capture all published guidelines. See the FAQ for details.

    Recent activity

    Your browsing activity is empty.

    Activity recording is turned off.

    Turn recording back on

    See more...