FREQUENCY OF MACROPROLACTINEMIA IN HYPERPROLACTINEMIC PATIENTS IN THE CLINICAL PRACTICE AT RAWALPINDI

Objective: To determine the frequency of macroprolactinemia in hyperprolactinemic patients, referred for fertility profile to a tertiary care medical setup at Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Methods : The cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out at the department of chemical pathology and endocrinology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) Rawalpindi. All adult patients of aged 20-50 years of either sex referred for fertility profile including serum prolactin level (PRL > 360mIu/l in males and > 530mIu/l in females) were consecutively included in the study. The serum of these patients were reanalyzed after PEG precipitation. The prolactin recovery (R% value) was calculated as: (R %) = Prolactin in supernatant / total Prolactin x 100. A recovery (R%) of value < 40 % of prolactin was considered as macroprolactinemia(MPRL). Results : Total of 187 patients were labeled as hyperprolactinemic patients, having serum PRL levels above the reference range. Thirty-six pregnant females and with a history of drug intake affecting prolactin levels were excluded. Out of 151 hyperprolactinemic patients, 31 (20.5%) patients had MPRL and 120 (79.5%) true hyperprolactinia (THPRL) after PEG precipitation. Macroprolactinemic patients included 25females (81 %) and 6 males (19 %). Most of the female patients belonged to age group 18-30 years (61.3 %). The serum PRL levels mean+ SD were higher in THPRL 1171.1 ± 914.20 as compared with MPRL 857.90 ± 515 (p=0.014). Conclusion : Total of 187 patients were labeled as hyperprolactinemic patients, having serum PRL levels above the reference range. Thirty-six pregnant females and with a history of drug intake affecting prolactin levels were excluded. Out of 151 hyperprolactinemic patients, 31 (20.5%) patients had MPRL and 120 (79.5%) true hyperprolactinia (THPRL) after PEG precipitation. Macroprolactinemic patients included 25females (81 %) and 6 males (19 %). Most of the female patients belonged to age group 18-30 years (61.3 %). The serum PRL levels mean+ SD were higher in THPRL 1171.1 ± 914.20 as compared with MPRL 857.90 ± 515 ( p =0.014). Keywords : Macroprolactenemia; PEG precipitation, Hyperprolactenemia, Prolactin levels.