[Impulse control disorder: patients with pituitary adenomas and dopaminergic agonists]

Impulse control disorder suggests a fronto-striatal dysfunction that impairs executive metacognitive abilities, as a result of dopamine receptor activation. Dopaminergic agonists serve as adjuvant therapy in pituitary adenomas.

To analyze the frequency of impulse control disorder in patients with pituitary adenomas treated with dopaminergic agonists.

Cross-sectional analytical study; ≥ 18 years old, diagnosed with pituitary adenoma, and receiving dopaminergic agonist treatment. The Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) was used. Proportions were compared using Chi-square; means with the Student's t-test, Pearson´s correlation for the strength of the association between each subscale. Odds ratios (OR) were estimated for risk calculations. Statistical significance was set at p ≤ 0.05.

Forty patients were studied, 50% female, with an average age of 42.32 years. According to the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS-11), 40% showed cognitive impairment, 27.5% showed motor impulsivity, and 7.5% exhibited unplanned impulsivity. In total, 12.5% of the population tested positive. Seventy-five percent had a lower accumulated dose (less than 500 mg), with an average of 248.4 milligrams, and 60% had been on treatment for more than 2 years.

A 12.5% incidence of impulsivity was observed based on the total BIS-11 score, with a 19-fold higher risk in women, and a tendency toward microprolactinoma presence.