واکنش پرولاکتین به TRH در بیماران مبتلا به اختلال پانیک

The effects of TRH administration (400 μg, i.v.) on the release of prolactin were examined in 15 patients who met DSM-III-R criteria for panic disorder and 15 normal control subjects. Four hundred micrograms TRH was given via IV route. Blood samples were taken before TRH administration (baseline values) and at 15, 30 and 60 min. The results demonstrate that prolactin responses to TRH did not differ between panic disorder patients and normal control subjects. When only women were evaluated, the findings indicate that women with PD tend to show excessive prolactin responses to TRH. The findings are discussed in view of findings from earlier reports.

A relationship between panic disorder (PD) and depressive disorder is supported by the frequent comorbidity of these disorders and the similarity of their pharmacological therapies. In numerous studies, decreased thyrotropin (TSH) responses to protirelin (TRH) were obtained in 25–30% of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) (Loosen and Prange, 1982). Another finding from those studies suggests that normal or abnormal prolactin responses to TRH can be observed in depressive patients and that these abnormal responses can be in blunted or excessive forms (Baumgartner et al., 1988). Roy-Byrne et al. (1986) found significantly lower prolactin responses to TRH in patients with PD compared to normal controls, which was a similar finding to those observed in patients with MDD. This finding could not be supported by two later studies in which there was no significant difference in prolactin responses to TRH between patients with PD and control groups (Castellani et al., 1988 and Stein and Uhde, 1991). The present study examined prolactin responses to TRH in 15 PD patients and compared their test results with those of 15 normal control subjects. To date, except in one study (Stein and Uhde, 1991), gender differences have not been evaluated in respect of prolactin responses to TRH in patients with PD. Therefore, a secondary issue was to evaluate whether gender differences might effect prolactin responses to TRH in PD patients and normal control subjects.