Cardiometabolic risk factors in young women with macroprolactinaemia.

Abstract

The predominance of high-molecular-weight forms of prolactin in plasma is referred to as macroprolactinaemia. Unlike monomeric hyperprolactinaemia, no previous study has investigated cardiometabolic risk factors in subjects with elevated macroprolactin content. We studied two age-, weight-, and blood pressure-matched groups of premenopausal women: 11 women with macroprolactinaemia and 11 women with prolactin levels within the reference range. The outcomes of interest included: glucose homeostasis markers, plasma lipids, as well as plasma levels of uric acid, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), fibrinogen, homocysteine, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Circulating levels of hsCRP and 2-h postchallenge plasma glucose, as well as the homeostatic model assessment 1 of insulin resistance ratio, were higher, while levels of HDL cholesterol and 25-hydroxyvitamin D were lower in women with macroprolactinaemia than in women without elevated levels of prolactin. In women with elevated levels of big-big prolactin, values of hsCRP and 25-hydroxyvitamin D correlated with the degree of insulin resistance and, similarly to HDL cholesterol and 2-h postchallenge plasma glucose, with macroprolactin content. There were no differences between the study groups in concentrations of fasting glucose, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid, fibrinogen, and homocysteine. The obtained results indicate that young women with macroprolactinaemia seem to be characterised by slightly increased cardiometabolic risk.