ENDOCRINE STATUS OF MALES WITH LUPUS NEPH RITIS

Renal function was assessed in 8 males at reproductive age suffering f rom lupus nephritis (LN). Normal renal function was registered in 5 pa tients, hypofunction in 3 males. Endocrinological examinations (evalua tion of secondary sexual characters, of hypophyseal and sex hormone pr ofile, sexological questionnaires, spermograms) failed to distinquish significant differences between SLE males and renal patients without S LE suffering from hypogonadism (13 males with uremic hypogonadism, 10 males with azoospermia induced by cytostatics). Endocrinological chang es revealed may result from uremia and immunodepressive therapy. In 5 patients these abnormalities were corrected by parlodel and zinc sulfa te. The authors came to the conclusion that feminization is not univer sal in LN males.