Kennedy's Disease and Partial Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome: Report of 4 Cases and Literature Review

The document detailed four cases of Kennedy's disease (KD), a rare X-linked recessive neurodegenerative disorder with symptoms of muscle weakness, atrophy, and bulbar muscle involvement, alongside endocrine symptoms like gynecomastia due to partial androgen insensitivity syndrome. KD is caused by an abnormal expansion of CAG triplet repeats in the androgen receptor gene, with the patients having 50 to 63 repeats. The age of neurological diagnosis ranged from 37 to 62 years. The study highlighted the need to consider KD in patients with progressive neurological symptoms and signs of androgen insensitivity, and it confirmed the diagnosis in all cases through molecular analysis. Hormonal tests indicated various imbalances, including increased serum total testosterone and SHBG, decreased serum free testosterone, and increased serum estrogen levels in three cases. The study suggests that KD should be suspected in adult males with progressive muscle weakness and endocrine changes, and that genetic testing is essential for diagnosis and counseling. The document does not provide the total number of people in the study but focuses on the four cases reported.