Endocrine Abstracts

We analysed BMI of 270 female patients: 148 with hyperprolactinaemia (non-tumoural hyperprolactinaemia, n=46; microadenomas, n=56; and macroadenomas, n=46), 55 with isolated central hypogonadism, 67 with hypopituitarism. Additionally, 53 healthy women of reproductive age and 51 postmenopausal women were examined. In patients with hyperprolactinaemia median prolactin levels were 1547 (1124; 2185), 1490 (1050; 2280), and 3100 (1790; 18840) mE/l, accordingly (P=0.002). Median BMI in hyperprolactinaemic women was elevated (25 (23; 34.5) kg/m²) but this parameter varied in dependence of hyperprolactinaemia type: BMI was 22.5 (20; 23) kg/m² in non-tumoural hyperprolactinaemia, 23 (22; 34.5) kg/m² – in microprolactinomas and 32 (26; 35) kg/m² – in macroprolactinomas (P=0.023). There was no significant correlation between BMI and prolactin levels; however, there was a positive correlation between BMI and prolactinoma volume (r=0.49, P=0.015). BMI in women with nontumoral hyperprolactinaemia did not differ from healthy women (21 (20; 23.5) kg/m², P=0.8) and women with isolated central hypogonadism (22.2 (20; 23.8) kg/m², P=0.6). BMI in women with microprolactinomas was significantly higher than in healthy women and in non-tumoral hyperprolactinaemia (P=0.03) however was comparable with hypopituitary patients (24 (22.7; 27.3) kg/m², P=0.33) and postmenopausal women (24.4 (23.2; 27.1) kg/m², P=0.35). The highest BMI was noted in patients with macroprolactinomas and it was significantly greater than BMI in other hyperprolactinaemic and non-hyperprolactinaemic subgroups (P<0.001 for all). Thus, we conclude that hyperprolactinaemia per se is not a risk factor for obesity in women. Prolactin-secreting pituitary lesions lead to the higher rate of increased BMI, and macroprolactinomas are more powerful risk factor for obesity than physiological menopause or hypopituitarism.