Abstract
Numerous abnormalities of endocrine and hypothalamic function in anorexia nervosa are well known but the details of their cause still remain obscure. Since it has been known that thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) causes prolaction (PRL) secretion, TRH test was performed frequently as a PAL provocative test in anorexia nervosa. We studied PAL responses to TRH in 44 anorexia nervosa (AN) patients whose weight was below 80% of the ideal body weight and compared them to 7 patients of eating disorders (ED) with normal weight, and to 8 normal women as controls. TRH test (500μg i. v. inj.) was performed and blood samples for PRL, TSH, and GH were obtained. All patients were tested before treatment and 22 AN patients were retested following weight recovery. The basal PRL values were 13.0±1.9ng/ml (Mean±SE) in AN, 12.8±2.1ng/ml in ED, and 10.8±1.2ng/ml in normal women. In AN and ED, the mean basal PAL Values Showed no significant difference as compared with the controls. There were abnormal responses of PRL to TRH in 16 cases of AN (hyper responses in 7,low responses in 6,and delayed responses in 3 cases) and 2 cases of ED (hyper and low in each). Twenty-two AN patients were tested before and after weight gain. Following weight recovery, PRL responses were normalized in 6 of 8 abnormal responders. The frequency of abnormal responses of PAL to TRH in AN did not differ trom ED and no signficant relation was found between ⊿PRL (peak value-basal value) to TRH and body weight. There was no relationship between PRL resportses and TSH responses, or GH responses to TRH in AN. These findings suggest that abnormal responses of PRL to TRH are not solely dependent on weight loss.
