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

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.