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Hyperprolactinemia in sarcoidosis: incidence and utility in predicting hypothalamic involvement
The American Review of Respiratory Disease
|August 1, 1975
Summary
Elevated serum prolactin is not a reliable indicator of hypothalamic disease in sarcoidosis patients. This study found hyperprolactinemia infrequently in sarcoidosis, even with central nervous system involvement.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Endocrinology
- Neurology
Background:
- Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disease that can affect various organs.
- Elevated serum prolactin levels have been anecdotally linked to sarcoidosis.
- Hypothalamic involvement in sarcoidosis was previously suspected based on prolactin levels.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the reliability of serum prolactin measurements as an indicator of hypothalamic disease in sarcoidosis patients.
- To determine the prevalence of hyperprolactinemia in a cohort of sarcoidosis patients.
Main Methods:
- Serum prolactin concentrations were measured in 61 patients diagnosed with sarcoidosis.
- Patients included those with and without central nervous system involvement.
Main Results:
- Only 2 out of 61 sarcoidosis patients exhibited hyperprolactinemia.
- No elevation in serum prolactin was observed in the 9 patients with central nervous system sarcoidosis.
- Prolactin levels were infrequently elevated even in patients with apparent pituitary hypofunction.
Conclusions:
- Serum prolactin measurement is not a dependable screening tool for detecting pituitary or hypothalamic disease in sarcoidosis.
- The initial hypothesis linking elevated prolactin to hypothalamic sarcoidosis is not supported by this study's findings.