Association of Cadmium, Chromium, Manganese and Lead with Hyperprolactinemia: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Introduction: Hyperprolactinemia is one of the most common hypothalamic-pituitary dysfunctions where serum prolactin levels increase beyond normal range. Studies have suggested association of heavy metals with prolactin levels. Aim: To investigate the association of serum levels of heavy metals with prolactin levels in hyperprolactinemia patients. Materials and Methods: A total of 102 hyperprolactinemia patients (>100 ng/mL serum prolactin levels) and 25 controls were included in the study. Hyperprolactinemia patients were classified into macroprolactinemia (n=22) and true hyperprolactinemia (n=80) based on post Poly Ethylene Glycol (PEG) recovery of prolactin of <25%. Serum Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), Manganese (Mn) and Lead (Pb) levels were analysed using Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES) method. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 21.0 and Stata version 14.2. Student’s t-test and Pearson correlation were used. The p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: There was no significant correlation between serum levels of prolactin and heavy metals Cd (r=0.067, p=0.457), Cr (r=-0.065, p=0.465), Mn (r=-0.076, p=0.393) and Pb (r=-0.148, p=0.097). No significant difference was found in serum levels of heavy metals between macroprolactinemia and true hyperprolactinemia patients (p=0.521, 0.690, 0.564 and 0.488 for Cd, Cr, Mn and Pb, respectively). ROC analysis also did not reveal any significance in any of the four heavy metals studied. Conclusion: The results suggest that probably there is no association of serum prolactin levels, macroprolactinemia or hyperprolactinemia with heavy metals.

Keywords

• heavy metals
• hypothalamic-pituitary dysfunction
• macroprolactinemia
• prolactin