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Prolonged hyperprolactinemia in preterm infants
Insights
Serum prolactin (PRL) levels differ between full-term and preterm infants early after birth but normalize by 4 weeks. Postnatal maturation of PRL inhibition appears to occur by 44-52 weeks postmenstrually.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal physiology
- Endocrinology
- Pediatric research
Background:
- Prolactin (PRL) plays a role in infant development.
- Understanding PRL secretion patterns is crucial for assessing infant health.
- Serial PRL measurements can reveal developmental trajectories.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare serum prolactin (PRL) levels in full-term (FT) and preterm (PT) infants.
- To investigate the postnatal maturation of PRL secretion inhibition.
- To correlate PRL levels with postmenstrual and postnatal ages.
Main Methods:
- Serial serum PRL levels were measured in FT (39-41 weeks) and PT (30-32 weeks) infants.
- Measurements were taken from birth up to 12 postnatal weeks for FT and 20 weeks for PT infants.
- PRL levels were analyzed based on both postnatal and postmenstrual ages.
Main Results:
- On day 1, FT infants had higher PRL levels than PT infants (267 vs. 156 ng/ml).
- PRL levels became similar in both groups by 2-4 weeks postnatally (approx. 69 ng/ml).
- FT infants showed a decline to near-adult PRL levels by 4-12 weeks, while PT infants reached this by 12-20 weeks.
Conclusions:
- PRL levels exhibit distinct patterns in FT and PT infants based on postnatal age.
- When assessed by postmenstrual age, PRL levels show similar patterns in both groups.
- These findings suggest postnatal maturation of PRL secretion inhibition, possibly by 44-52 weeks postmenstrually.
Abstract:
Serum PRL levels were followed serially in full term (FT; 39-41 weeks) and preterm (PT; 30-32 weeks) infants, from birth to 12 and 20 postnatal weeks, respectively. Values were higher in FT infants than in PT infants on day 1 after birth (267 +/- 20 vs. 156 +/- 8 ng/ml) but were similar in both by the age of 2-4 weeks (69 +/- 8 vs. 69 +/- 6 ng/ml). Between the ages of 4-12 weeks, the serum PRL in FT infants fell to near adult levels (24 +/- 2 ng/ml), but this fall was seen much later in PT infants, between 12-20 weeks postnatally (23 +/- 2 ng/ml). When values in FT and PT infants were compared at parallel postmenstrual ages in contradistinction to postnatal ages, a similar course of PRL was discernable in both groups. These data may provide indirect evidence for the establishment and maturation of inhibition of PRL secretion (i.e. PRL-inhibitory factor production) postnatally, between 44-52 weeks postmenstrually.