[Hormone content of the blood in neurotic patients].

Radioimmunoassay was applied to study the hormones (corticotropin, cortisol, T3, T4, testosterone, prolactin, follicle-stimulating and luteinizing hormones) in 52 male neurotic patients and 120 healthy donors in Arkhangelsk city, as compared to latitudinal mean values. In patients, prolactin, cortisol, thyroid hormones and gonadotropins were increased by 82.7%, 48.7%, 41%, 52.6%, respectively. Patients also had lower production of ACTH, higher blood contents of T3, prolactin and testosterone. Unidirectional shifts were detected in hormonal systems of neurotic patients, with respect to the time of the disease onset and the duration of last exacerbation: ACTH secretion increased with reduced response of adrenal cortisol production, compensatory increase in thyroid functions, redistribution of gonadotropic fractions increasing the FSH/LH ratio, decrease in testosterone production. At the initial stages prolactin secretion increased to reach later its plateau.