Evaluation of anterior pituitary hormonal profile in patients with first seizure of tonic-clonic and temporal lobe epilepsies in Al-Zahra hospital of Isfahan, Iran, during 2014-2016: comparison of hormonal profiles in 2 types of epilepsy

Temporal lobe and tonic-clonic seizures are the most common types of epilepsy. It is a disease that disrupts the regulation of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis. The disturbance in the regulation of this axis affects the secretion of hormones from the anterior pituitary. Due to the different origins of these 2 types of epilepsy listed above, this study aimed to examine their differences in the level of anterior pituitary hormones. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Al-Zahra hospital of Isfahan, Iran, from 2014 to 2016. A total of 36 patients with the idiopathic first seizure were selected for the examination including 20 patients with tonic-clonic seizure and 16 patients with temporal lobe seizure. The diagnosis of epilepsy was confirmed by a neurologist along with electroencephalogram (EEG) findings. The levels of anterior pituitary hormones including thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), GH (growth hormone), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and PRL (prolactin) were measured and compared using ELISA method in both groups. The results indicated that all the anterior pituitary hormones except TSH and ACTH had higher means in the temporal lobe epilepsy than in the tonic-clonic epilepsy, but a significant difference (mean ± SD) was reported only in GH (4.59±2.95) (2.55±1.87) (P<0.005) and FSH (19.4±14.06) (4.34±2.37) (P<0.033) respectively in the temporal lobe and tonic-clonic seizures. Meanwhile, there was a significant relationship between seizure, regardless of its type, and the level of growth hormone and FSH. In the future, hormonal changes may be used as an adjunct to diagnose the type of epilepsy. More studies are required to confirm the findings.