title: Dopamine infusion and anterior pituitary gland function in very low birth weight infants.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous studies demonstrated that dopamine infusion reduces plasma concentration of thyroxine (T4), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), prolactin (PRL), and growth hormone (GH) in adults, children, and infants.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this prospective observational study was to evaluate the relationship between dopamine infusion and the dynamics of T4, TSH, PRL, and GH in preterm newborns weighing less than 1,500 g (very low birth weight infants, VLBW) admitted in a neonatal intensive care unit of a university hospital over a one year period.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 97 preterm newborns were enrolled and divided into two groups: group B included hypotensive infants treated with plasma expanders and dopamine infusion; group A was the control group including newborns who were never treated with dopamine. The newborns were studied dynamically through blood samples taken every day till 10 days. Newborns of group B were studied during dopamine infusion and after its withdrawal.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the VLBW newborns who were given dopamine, the four pituitary hormones had different dynamics: a reduction of T4, TSH, and PRL levels was noticed since the first day of treatment, and a rebound of their levels was evident since the first day after its interruption. On the contrary, the postprandial GH levels were roughly constant: GH plasma concentrations were in fact a little lower in newborns treated with dopamine, and a slight increase was observed after its withdrawal. However, observed differences were not statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that dopamine infusion reduces T4, TSH, and PRL plasma levels in preterm VLBW infants and have no effect on postprandial GH rate. This hormonal suppression reverses rapidly after dopamine withdrawal. This observation suggests that the iatrogenic pituitary suppression probably cannot produce long-term injuries.
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Department of Critical Care Medicine, University Careggi Hospital, Florence, Italy. filippi.luca@virgilio.it
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Filippi
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pezzati
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cecchi
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Serafini
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Poggi
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dani
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tronchin
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Seminara
mesh_terms: D004298:Dopamine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; D008297:Male; D010903:Pituitary Gland, Anterior / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000097:blood; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D011388:Prolactin; D013972:Thyrotropin; D013006:Growth Hormone; D013974:Thyroxine; D004298:Dopamine