ESPE Abstracts

Background: Prolactin is a peptide hormone produced by the anterior pituitary gland. Hyperprolactinemia can be caused by stress, but pathological causes of hyperprolactinemia could be due hypothyroidism, medications or hypothalamic/pituitary tumors. It is important to differentiate between the causes of hyperprolactinemia. The best way to accomplish this is via a rest test. One way to accomplish this would be to measure prolactin levels as a part of a hormone stimulation test.

Objective: To use a hormone stimulation test as a rest test to evaluate whether stress is the cause of hyperprolactinemia in patients.

Methods: A retrospective chart review (N: 526) was done to select patients who completed either a growth hormone stimulation and/or a Lupron stimulation test. Growth hormone stimulation test patients received L-Dopa and Arginine. Lupron stimulation test patients received Leuprolide acetate. Prolactin levels were measured at the time of IV catheter insertion(baseline) and then at the 3-hour time point.

Results: Data showed that elevated baseline prolactin levels decreased to normal at the 3-hour time point in patients who completed the hormone stimulation test.

Conclusions: Our data showed that elevated baseline prolactin levels decreased to normal levels at the 3-hour time point in patients who completed a hormone stimulation test. Medications used during the stimulation testing and circadian rhythm effects could also be implicated, but will need to be examined further. This study demonstrates that a hormone stimulation test may be a good way to examine the cause of hyperprolactinemia in patients.