ab2006

Hyperprolactinaemia in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

L. Moszkorzová¹, Z. Lacinová², J. Marek², L. Musilová¹ , A. Dohnalová³, C. Dostál¹

¹Institute of Rheumatology, Prague; ²Third Medical Department, First Medical Faculty Charles University, Prague; ³Institute of Physiology, First Medical Faculty Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.

ABSTRACT
Objective
To verify the presence of hyper-PRL in SLE patients, its association with high disease activity, specific organ involvement or presence of anti-ds-DNA antibodies.

Methods
The group under study consisted of 80 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 28 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 27 healthy controls. PRL serum levels were assayed using standard commercial kits (Immunotech Prague) with the radioimmunometric method for testing three samples of each of the subjects. The samples were taken in the morning hours (9-11 a.m.) of absolute rest 30 minutes after the introduction of the cannula at 30-minute intervals.

Results
A significantly higher rate of elevated PRL levels was found in SLE patients (40.0%) compared with the healthy controls (14.8%, p < 0.017). No proof was found of association with the presence of anti-ds-DNA or with specific organ involvement. Similarly, elevated PRL levels were found in RA patients (39.3%). The PRL elevation tended to decline from the 1st to the 3rd sample in the group of patients with SLE and RA but not in healthy controls.

Conclusion
As follows from our measurements of prolactin serum values in SLE patients they are varriable by definition.
According to our opinion further investigations are needed

Key words
Systemic lupus erythematosus, elevated serum prolactin values, diseases activity, anti-dsDNA antibodies, specific organ involvement.

This study was supported by the Internal Grant Agency of Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic No NK 5370-3/99.
Please address correspondence to: Ctibor Dostál MD, PhD, Institute of Rheumatology, Na Slupi 4, 128 50 Prague 2, Czech Republic.