Spontaneous prolactin secretion in growth hormone-deficient children.
OBJECTIVE
To establish the spontaneous nocturnal prolactin (PRL) release in relation to growth hormone (GH)-deficient children and idiopathic short-stature children (ISS).


METHODS
A total of 32 prepubertal children (11 girls, 21 boys) aged between 3 and 12 years were studied retrospectively and sorted according to diagnosis: idiopathic GH deficiency (GHD, n = 9), neurosecretory deficiency of GH secretion (NSD, n = 10) and ISS (n = 13). Nocturnal spontaneous hormone secretion was studied by intermittent venous sampling. Secretion profiles and copulsatility were analyzed using Pulsar and AnCoPuls software.


RESULTS
(median, range in mug/l): Children with GHD and NSD had significantly lower GH and area-under-the-curve (AUC) levels than normal children (p < 0.001), whereas ISS children showed normal values. In contrast, prolactin levels were significantly higher (p < 0. 05) in children with GHD and NSD (11.1, 4.9 - 13.0 and 10.3, 8. 8 - 19. 6, respectively) compared to the ISS children (8.0, 4.9 - 13.0). In addition, prolactin AUC and peak height were higher (p < 0.05) in GH-deficient patients, whereas all other secretion parameters were the same. Correlation and copulsatility analysis revealed no evidence for a direct relation between PRL and GH secretion.


CONCLUSIONS
PRL secretion is significantly higher in children with GHD and NSD compared to ISS children but PRL and GH show no copulsatile secretion pattern.
Völkl
T M K
TM
Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Hospital for Children and Adolescents, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Loschgestrasse 15, 91054 Erlangen, Germany.
Haas
S
S
Dörr
H G
HG
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004393:Dwarfism, Pituitary / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000172:deficiency*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011388:Prolactin / Q000378:metabolism*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D011388:Prolactin; D013006:Growth Hormone