Growth hormone, insulin, and prolactin secretion in anorexia nervosa and obesity during bromocriptine treatment.

Abstract

such complicating factors as variable absorption or distribution.Two important features emerge from this study. Firstly, our findings confirm observations'0"1 of an age-related decline in microsomal oxidation rates in man. Secondly, they show that in a population exhibiting this decline acetylation does not change with age. Thus, there are pharmokinetic grounds in the elderly for reducing the dose of drugs that are metabolised by oxidation, but this does not seem to apply to drugs metabolised by acetylation. Indeed, in so far as the latter pathway is concerned, not only was there no observed difference in acetylator phenotype in the two groups but there was also no apparent difference within the phenotypes, or in antimodes between the populations. These findings do not therefore support the hypothesis that heterozygotes for acetylation have a survival advantage to old age. Nor do they support the hypothesis that there is a general decline of liver function with advancing age in man.'We thank Mrs L Pulmann and Mr D B Henderson for technical help; Dr A J Cassells-Smith and the department of clinical biochemistry, Newcastle General Hospital, for undertaking the routine laboratory investigations; colleagues in the department of geriatric medicine, Newcastle General Hospital; and the Newcastle Area Health Authority (Teaching) for financial support.

Prolactin Secretion in Anorexia Nervosa

“…This phenomenon is somewhat surprising since other findings suggest a reduction in the dopaminergic pool in AN (Mawson 1974). Significantly, some authors (Johanson and Knorr 1974) although not unanimously (Harrower et al 1977), have found an improvement of the disease in patients treated with dopaminergic drugs. In addition, Nomifensine, a new drug which inhibits the pre-synaptic re-uptake provokes a reduction of PRL in normal subjects (Laakman and Benkert 1978) but not in our cases Horm.…”

The Physiology of eating disorders

“…(1) The occurrence of a paradoxical rise following oral glucose feeding (Alvarez et al, 1972;Casper et al, 1977;Franklin & Jenkins, 1972;Macaron et al, 1978;Vanderlaan, Parker, Rossman, & Vanderlaan, 1970), which is attenuated by bromocriptine (Harrower, Yap, Nairn, Walton, Strong, & Craig, 1977).…”

Prolactinoma and body weight: A retrospective study

“…No research has yet been done into this matter, but a few studies have obliquely re¬ garded body weight during treatment with dopa¬ mine agonists. A lack of effects on body weight was reported in obese women and women with anore¬ xia nervosa (12), and in patients with hyperprolac¬ tinemia (13,14). Nevertheless, weight loss during treatment with bromocriptine has been reported (15)(16)(17), and incidental cases of weight gain (13,18).…”