Prolactin Levels in Brazilian Patients Evaluated Because of Weight Gain: A Correlation with the Anthropometric and Biochemical Profiles?.

ABSTRACT

Aims: To investigate if basal measures of serum prolactin correlate with biochemical and anthropometric data of Brazilian patients. Methodology: This study consists of a cross-sectional evaluation of basal serum prolactin levels and its correlations with biochemical (fasting glucose, lipid profile, uric acid, insulin, Homeostasis Model Assessment-Insulin Resistance - HOMA) and anthropometric data (body mass index - BMI, waist circumference - WC, Visceral Adiposity Index - VAI) in 356 patients who sought Endocrinological evaluation in order to lose weight (242 women, 114 men; age range 16-80 years). Most patients were obese (43.63%), 36.52% were overweight and 16.85% had normal BMI. Patients were divided among four quartiles according to the prolactin levels The first containing the patients with the lowest, and the forth, those with the highest levels. Results: The fourth prolactin quartile had significantly lower BMI (P= .02), WC (P= .003), glucose (P <.001), total cholesterol (P= .02), LDL (P= .04), triglycerides (P= .02), HOMA (P= .04), and VAI (P= .04), and fewer diagnostic criteria for the Metabolic Syndrome (P <.001). In addition, the fourth quartile had lower prevalences of obesity (P= .02) and Diabetes Mellitus (P= .02). There were correlations between PRL and BMI (r= -.17, P= .001), WC (r= -.21, P <.001), glucose (r= -.25, P <.001), total cholesterol (r= -.14, P= .01), HDL (r= .14, P= .01), LDL (r= -.12, P= .02), triglycerides (r= -.17, P <.001), HOMA (r= -.13, P= .03), VAI (r= -.21, P <.001), and the number of diagnostic criteria for the Metabolic Syndrome (r= -.23, P <.001). Conclusion: Patients with higher levels of prolactin had a more favorable anthropometric and biochemical profile. Basal levels of prolactin correlate well with anthropometric and biochemical data and may be a useful tool for the estimation of serotoninergic activity in patients who seek Endocrinological evaluation for weight reduction.