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Prolactin Not A Pro-Inflammatory In Polymyalgia Rheumatica

Serum prolactin has been found to be positively correlated with the number of typical symptoms in polymyalgia rheumatica but not with typical inflammatory markers.

Thus, prolactin (PRL) is not a pro-inflammatory stimulus in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), suggests this multicentre study in Germany.

As for the inter-relationship found between PRL and symptoms or duration of morning stiffness among PMR patients in this study, it may be more a sign of central nervous system involvement as it can be seen in people who are depressed or stressed, these authors suggest.

Hyperprolactinaemia has been linked with the active phase of human systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis, so this study looked at the role of PRL in relation to the number of typical symptoms and serum markers of systemic inflammation in PMR.

Participants were 102 patients with such symptoms as adynamia, bilateral muscular pain in shoulders, upper arms or neck, bilateral muscular pain in the pelvic girdle, headache, morning stiffness, arthralgia, symptoms of depression, fever, initial weight loss (more than four kg/month) and transient visual symptoms.

If one of the mentioned symptoms was present, the corresponding item was scored with one point.

PRL and a range of inflammatory markers were measured in the patients and in 31 age-matched healthy controls. Fifteen PMR patients with elevated PRL had a higher number of symptoms as compared with patients with normal levels, and PRL was correlated with the number of symptoms and duration of morning stiffness, irrespective of prior corticosteroid treatment. However, PRL did not correlate with markers of systemic inflammation.
Rheumatology 2002; 41: 423-429. "In polymyalgia rheumatica serum prolactin is positively correlated with the number of typical symptoms but not with typical inflammatory markers"

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