Mild androgen insensitivity syndrome (MAIS) presenting with a mild impairment of virilization in a 23-year-old man.[15]
Individuals with mild (or minimal) androgen insensitivity syndrome (grade 1 on theQuigley scale) are bornphenotypically male, with fullymasculinized genitalia; this category of androgen insensitivity is diagnosed when the degree of androgen insensitivity in an individual with a46,XY karyotype is great enough to impairvirilization orspermatogenesis, but is not great enough to impair normal male genital development.[1][5][6][9] MAIS is the mildest and least known form of androgen insensitivity syndrome.[5][16]
The existence of a variant of androgen insensitivity that solely affectedspermatogenesis was theoretical at first.[17] Cases of phenotypically normal males withisolated spermatogenic defect due to AR mutation were first detected as the result ofmale infertility evaluations.[1][13][18][19] Until then, early evidence in support of the existence of MAIS was limited to cases involving a mild defect invirilization,[15][20] although some of these early cases made allowances for some degree of impairment ofgenital masculinization, such ashypospadias ormicropenis.[21][22][23] It is estimated that 2-3% of infertile men have AR gene mutations.[6] It is also estimated that MAIS is responsible for 40% of male infertility.[24]
Although technically a variant of MAIS, SBMA's presentation is not typical of androgen insensitivity; symptoms do not occur until adulthood and includeneuromuscular defects as well as signs of androgen inaction.[26] Neuromuscular symptoms include progressive proximal muscle weakness,atrophy, andfasciculations. Symptoms of androgen insensitivity experienced by men with SBMA are also progressive[26] and include testicular atrophy, severeoligospermia orazoospermia,gynecomastia, and feminized skin changes[29] despite elevated androgen levels.[1] Disease onset, which usually affects theproximal musculature first, occurs in the third to fifth decades of life, and is often preceded by muscular cramps on exertion, tremor of the hands, and elevated musclecreatine kinase.[30] SBMA is often misdiagnosed asamyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease).[27]
The symptoms of SBMA are thought to be brought about by two simultaneous pathways involving the toxicmisfolding of proteins and loss of AR functionality.[1] The polyglutamine tract in affected pedigrees tends to increase in length over generations, a phenomenon known as "anticipation",[31] leading to an increase in the severity of the disease as well as a decrease in the age of onset for each subsequent generation of a family affected by SBMA.[26]
Histopathology of testicular tissue showing immature germ cells andspermatogonia with decreased tubular diameter. Scattered groups of Leydig cells appearing immature.[32]
All forms of androgen insensitivity are associated withinfertility, though exceptions have been reported for both the mild and partial forms.[4][5][7][33][34][35] Lifespan is not thought to be affected by AIS.[1]
Trinucleotide satellite lengths and AR transcriptional activity
MAIS is only diagnosed in normal phenotypic males, and is not typically investigated except in cases ofmale infertility.[18] MAIS has a mild presentation that often goes unnoticed and untreated;[15] even with semenological, clinical and laboratory data, it can be difficult to distinguish between men with and without MAIS, and thus a diagnosis of MAIS is not usually made without confirmation of anAR genemutation.[5] Theandrogen sensitivity index (ASI), defined as the product ofluteinizing hormone (LH) andtestosterone (T), is frequently raised in individuals with all forms of AIS, including MAIS, although many individuals with MAIS have an ASI in the normal range.[5] Testosterone levels may be elevated despite normal levels of luteinizing hormone.[15][20][25] Conversion of testosterone (T) todihydrotestosterone (DHT) may be impaired, although to a lesser extent than is seen in5α-reductase deficiency.[3] A high ASI in a normal phenotypic male,[46] especially when combined withazoospermia oroligospermia,[5][7] decreasedsecondaryterminal hair,[27] and/or impaired conversion of T to DHT,[3] can be indicative of MAIS, and may warrantgenetic testing.
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^abcdefghijZuccarello D, Ferlin A, Vinanzi C, Prana E, Garolla A, Callewaert L, Claessens F, Brinkmann AO, Foresta C (April 2008). "Detailed functional studies on androgen receptor mild mutations demonstrate their association with male infertility".Clin. Endocrinol.68 (4):580–8.doi:10.1111/j.1365-2265.2007.03069.x.PMID17970778.S2CID2783902.
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