title: Clinical course of hyperprolactinemia in children and adolescents: a review of 21 cases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Hyperprolactinemia may be due to various etiological factors and may present with different signs and symptoms. It is relatively less frequent in childhood than in adulthood. The aim of this study was to evaluate retrospectively the clinical course and outcome of hyperprolactinemia in pediatric patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated the records of 21 patients with hyperprolactinemia who attended a tertiary hospital.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Menstrual problems, galactorrhea , and headache were the most common presenting symptoms. Hyperprolactinemia was due to microadenoma in 10, macroadenoma in 7, and was drug-induced in 4 patients. Bromocriptine and cabergoline were equally effective in lowering serum prolactin levels. Surgical treatment in children with macroprolactinoma was not curative and dopamine agonist therapy was required postoperatively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the presence of any clinical symptom or sign suggestive of suppression of the pituitary-gonadal axis, hyperprolactinemia should not be forgotten as a probable diagnosis. Medical therapy seems effective in microadenoma. Surgical therapy may not be successful in macroadenoma and recurrence is frequent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Endocrinology, Uludağ University, Faculty of Medicine, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Erdal
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Eren
authors.forename: Şenay
authors.initials: Ş
authors.lastname: Yapıcı
authors.forename: Esra Deniz Papatya
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Çakır
authors.forename: Latife Aytekin
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Ceylan
authors.forename: Halil
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sağlam
authors.forename: Ömer
authors.initials: Ö
authors.lastname: Tarım
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D018491:Dopamine Agonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006966:Hyperprolactinemia / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood; D015175:Prolactinoma / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014421:Turkey
chemical_list: D018491:Dopamine Agonists; D011388:Prolactin