Understanding Kallmann's Syndrome

Summary

Kallmann's syndrome is a rare disorder which affects predominantly men. Typical characteristics are a failure to go through puberty and an absent sense of smell. Although the disease is not life-threatening, somebody with Kallmann's syndrome has an hormonal imbalance because a small area of his or her brain called the hypothalamus is unable to work properly. Specialised hormone replacement therapy is available to treat absent puberty, but there is still no cure for a lack of sense of smell.

Although a significant proportion of people with Kallmann's will have inherited the disease, most cases are random (sporadic) with no previous family history. Sufferers wishing to become parents will need to have specialised fertility treatment and in many cases this proves successful.

The question of the inheritance of Kallmann's is a very difficult one to answer. In the majority of cases it is not clear if the Kallmann's can be passed on or not if a person goes through fertility treatment. There could be a 25% chance of passing it on, at most a 50% chance of passing Kallmann's syndrome down to your children.