Hypoprolactinemia. Does it matter? Redefining the hypopituitarism and return from a mumpsimus : "Absence of proof is not the proof of absence".

Abstract

Prolactin (PRL) is secreted by the lactotroph cells in the anterior pituitary gland which is under inhibitory control of dopamine. The mature human PRL has more than 300 physiological actions including lactation, reproduction, homeostasis, neuroprotection, behavior, water and electrolyte balance, immunoregulation and embryonic and fetal development. PRL is involved in the growth and development of mammary gland, preparation of the breast for lactation in the postpartum period, synthesis of milk, and maintenance of milk secretion. Abnormalities in the synthesis and secretion of PRL may result in hyperprolactinemia or hypoprolactinemia. Although hyperprolactinemia has been extensively investigated in the literature, because of the subtle or unclearly defined symptoms, hypoprolactinemia is a less-known and neglected disorder. Failure of lactation is a well-known clinical manifestation of hypoprolactinemia. Recent studies reveal that hypoprolactinemia may have some effects beyond lactation such as increased risk for metabolic abnormalities including insulin resistance, abnormal lipid profile, obesity and sexual dysfunction. Very low level of PRL is suggested to be avoided in patients receiving dopamin agonist treatment to prevent unwanted effects of hypoprolactinemia. Another important point is that hypoprolactinemia is not included in the classification of hypopituitarism. Anterior pituitary failure is traditionally classified as isolated, partial and complete (panhypopituitarism) hypopituitarism regardless of prolactin level. Therefore, there are two kinds of panhypopituitarism: panhypopituitarism with normal or high PRL level and panhypopituitarism with low PRL level. In this review, we present two personal cases, discuss the diagnosis of hypoprolactinemia, hypoprolactinemia associated clinical picture and suggest to redefine the classification of hypopituitarism.