title: Effects of tartrate thyrotropin-releasing hormone treatment on serum thyrotropin, free triiodothyronine, free thyroxine and prolactin levels in patients with spinocerebellar degeneration.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to investigate the pituitary-thyroid axis function during the long-term (30 days) intramuscular administration of 4 mg/day of thyrotropin-releasing hormone tartrate (TRH-T) in 15 patients with spinocerebellar degeneration. The study was performed as follows: (1) acute 4 mg TRH-T test with hourly prolactin (PRL) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level evaluations for 6 h; (2) placebo; and (3) 4 mg/day of TRH-T administration for 30 days with TSH, PRL, and free T3 and T4 (FT3 and FT4) levels evaluated on days 1, 15 and 30. Hormone determination was performed just before and 1 h after placebo or TRH-T administration. The acute administration of TRH-T caused a sustained rise of TSH which lasted until the 6th hour and of PRL which declined after 1 h (p < 0.01). During placebo administration, no change of TSH, PRL, FT3 or FT4 was observed. On the 1st day of treatment, 1 h after the TRH-T injection, a significant increase of both TSH and PRL levels occurred (p < 0.01). As compared to the 1st day, a significant decrease of the TSH (p < 0.01) levels occurred on the 15th and 30th days before TRH-T: the TSH response to TRH-T administration was present although less than on the 1st day (p < 0.01). Moreover, throughout the whole period of treatment, no difference was recorded for PRL levels before or after TRH-T administration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Chair of Endocrinology, 2nd School of Medicine, University of Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Merola
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Colao
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Renzo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Filla
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Campanella
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lombardi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood*; D013132:Spinocerebellar Degenerations / Q000097:blood*; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood*; D013973:Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000097:blood*; D014284:Triiodothyronine / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D014284:Triiodothyronine; D013973:Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone; D011388:Prolactin; D013972:Thyrotropin; D013974:Thyroxine