Basal prolactinemia and level after stimulation with TRH in juvenile gynecomastia

: TSH and PRL in basal conditions and after stimulus with TRH, gonadotrophin in basal conditions and after stimulus with GnRH, plasma testosterone, urinary oestrogens and peripheral thyroid hormones have been evaluated in 11 subjects with puberal gynaecomastia, 7 with post-puberal gynaecomastia and 14 normal controls. With respect to the normal controls, only patients with post-puberal gynaecomastia showed higher levels of basal PRL and after TRH stimulus. The behaviour of these patients could suggest that in subjects with post-puberal gynaecomastia there may be persistent endocrine imbalance, whereas in puberal gynaecomastia such imbalance is only transitory and is exhausted prior to the onset of mammary tumefaction.