Table 1.
Clinical, hormonal and radiological characteristics of patients at diagnosis, overall and divided by gender.
| Variables | Total (n = 62) | Males (n = 23) | Females (n = 39) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 37.0 (26.5 – 45.3) | 44.0 (32.0 - 50.0) | 34.0 (22.0 - 42.0) | 0.40 |
| Radiology | ||||
| Microadenoma | 30 (48.4%) | 4 (17.4%) | 26 (66.7%) | < 0.0001 |
| Macroadenoma | 32 (51.6%) | 19 (82.6%) | 13 (33.3%) | < 0.0001 |
| Maximum diameter (mm) | 9.5 (5.0 - 19.3) | 20.0 (15.0 - 30.0) | 7.0 (4.0 - 12.0) | < 0.0001 |
| Volume (mm3) | 1361 (109 - 3120) | 2246 (1195 - 7047) | 133 (39 - 1026) | < 0.05 |
| Cavernous sinus invasion | 11 (17.7%) | 7 (30.4%) | 4 (10.3%) | < 0.05 |
| Surgery | 7 (11.3%) | 3 (13.0%) | 4 (10.3%) | 0.74 |
| Symptoms at diagnosis | 46 (74.2%) | 20 (87%) | 26 (66,7%) | 0.08 |
| Compressive symptoms | 14 (22.6%) | 9 (39.1%) | 5 (12,8%) | < 0.05 |
| Visual defect | 13 (21.0%) | 7 (30.4%) | 6 (15,4%) | 0.16 |
| Hormonal deficits | 18 (29.0%) | 14 (60.9%) | 4 (10.3%) | < 0.0001 |
| Hormones levels | ||||
| PRL (ng/ml) | 187.4 (80.1 - 779.6) | 683.0 (178.0 - 1000) | 145.5 (69.0 - 301.0) | < 0.05 |
| TSH (mU/L) | 1.6 (1.3 - 2.1) | 1.5 (1.0 - 1.7) | 1.9 (1.5 - 2.5) | 0.14 |
| fT4 (ng/dL) | 1.2 (0.9 - 1.2) | 1.0 (0.8 - 1.2) | 1.2 (1.1 - 1.3) | < 0.05 |
| Cortisol (µg/dL) | 12.4 (8.6 - 17.6) | 12.6 (9.1 - 17.6) | 9.4 (6.7 - 18.7) | 0.61 |
| IGF-I (ng/mL) | 152.6 (123.5 - 179.5) | 152.6 (123.5 - 179.5) | 146.6 (68.8 - 372.0) | 1.00 |
| ACTH (pg/mL) | 30.2 (16.1 - 38.6) | 34.7 (17.9 - 42.6) | 17.1 (11.9 - 33.7) | 0.09 |
| FSH (mU/L) | 2.9 (1.7 - 6.5) | 2.1 (1.5 - 5.0) | 5.0 (2.1 - 8.5) | 0.13 |
| LH (mU/L) | 2.1 (0.5 - 8.0) | 1.7 (0.8 - 5.9) | 2.7 (0.3 - 9.8) | 0.89 |
| Dose of DA (mg/sett) | 1.0 (0.5 - 1.4) | 1.0 (1.2 - 3.1) | 0.5 (0.5 - 1.0) | 0.001 |
Data are expressed as median and interquartile range (IQR) or absolute number and percentage.
Comparisons between groups were performed with χ2 test for dichotomous or categorical variables, Student's t test for continuous normally distributed variables and Mann-Whitney test for continuous not normally distributed variables.
Significant differences are shown in bold characters.