Endocrine Abstracts

BackgroundSerum testosterone remains the most important investigation in the diagnosis of androgen deficiency in men. Most of the circulating testosterone is bound to albumin and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), whereas free testosterone accounts for approximately 2% of total testosterone. Because direct measurement of free testosterone is impractical in routine practice, several equations have been used to provide clinically useful estimates of free...

Macroprolactin (MPL) is a complex of prolactin (PRL) and IgG. It is considered to have little bioactivity and may account for a significant proportion of patients with 'idiopathic hyperprolactinaemia'. We determined the prevalence of macroprolactinaemia in patients with hyperprolactinaemia and examined the clinical features. An Immuno-1 system with PEG precipitation was used to identify MPL, with a recovery of <50% taken as indicating significant macroprolactinaemia.In ...