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Original Article |
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Neuropsychopharmacology (2002) 26 135-138.10.1038/S0893-133X(01)00356-6
Prolactinoma in Some Ménière's Patients ¾ Is Stress Involved?
Kathleen C Horner1 Ph.D, Regis Guieu2 MD, Jacques Magnan3 MD, Andre Chays3 MD and Yves Cazals1 Ph.D |
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1Laboratoire d'Otologie, Hôpital Nord, Marseille, France
2Cnrs UMR 6560, Hôpital Nord, Marseille, France
3Service ORL, Hôpital Nord, Marseille, France
Correspondence: Dr Kathleen C Horner, Laboratoire d'Otologie, Inserm EPI9902 Université de la Méditerranée, Aix-Marseille II, Faculté de Médecine, Boulevard Pierre Dramard, 13916 Marseille Cedex 20, France. Tel.: +04 91 69 89 46, Fax: +04 91 69 87 31, horner.k@jean-roche.univ-mrs.fr
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ABSTRACT
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Dizziness is a common complaint in primary care clinics and can enter the diagnostic profile of different pathologies spanning from psychiatric problems to vestibular dysfunction. Episodes of vertigo in Ménière's patients are often reported to be triggered by stress but no physiological data are available to account for the subjective link. The study involved 42 Ménière's patients hospitalized for neurectomy of the vestibular nerve for relief of incapacitating vertigo. In addition 18 patients with neurinoma of the vestibular nerve and 12 patients with facial spasm, who underwent surgery, served as controls. A blood sample was taken on the day of surgery in order to determine the level of battery of different stress hormones. The most striking observation was the presence of hyperprolactinemia (above 20  g/l) in 14 Ménière's patients. The presence of prolactinoma was confirmed by MRI in six cases out of six investigated and the others have not yet been followed up in this retrospective study. These observations are clearly indicative for systematic determination of prolactin levels before opting for surgery in Ménière's patients.
Keywords: Stress; Vertigo; Hearing; Tinnitus; Prolactin; Dopamine |
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