TRH stimulation test and DST in patients with stroke

ABSTRACT

In order to obsetve the effect of stroke on hypothalamic-pituitary axis, TRH stimulabon test and dexamethasone suppression test(DST) were performed in 52 patients with stroke(cerebral infarction, 16 cases; intracerebral hemorrhage, 15 cases subarachnoid hemorrhage, 21 cases) and 15 age-sex matched patients control without intracrania disease at Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital from April 1987 to August 1988. The results summarized as follows. 1. The frequency of blunted response on TRH stimulation test is significantly higher in total stroke and patients with cerebral infarction than in control(P<0.06, P<0.05). 2. The frequency of DST non-suppression in patients with cerebral infarction is significantly higher than in control, patients with cerebral hemorrhage and patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage(P<0.001, P<0.01, P<0.01). 3. Patients with left hemispheric stroke tend to show more frequent abnormal neuroendocrine test results than patient with right hemispheric stroke. 4. There are no correlation between abnormal neuroendocrine test results and age, sex, size of stroke and Barthel ADL scale. These results suggest stroke can influence on hypothalamic-pituitary axis, more marked in cerebral infarction and left hemispheric lesion.