[Hyperprolactinism and antiprolactin drugs].

After being suspected in the presence of galactorrhoea, it is now easy to prove hyperprolactinism thanks to radioimmunoassay of prolactin. The repercussions of hyperprolactinism on gonad function are now well known, especially in women where they lead to anovulation then amenorrhoea, whereas in man there occurs hypoandrogenism with loss of libido. Hyperprolactinemia may occur in numerous circumstances and may be deduced logically from the mechanism of secretory regulation of this hormone. Among the latter, one cause dominates the others by its therapeutic consequences, I.e. the presence of an adenoma or microadenoma secreting prolactin discovered thanks to tomography of the sella turcica. The treatment of hyperprolactinism has advanced in recent years with the introduction of dopamineric drugs such as bromcriptin which permits one to normalise prolactinemia and thus restore gonad function. It's use requires however certain precautions and neurological and ophthalmic supervision when htere is a microadenoma.