Type of test Blood

Normal findings

 Adult male: 3-13 ng/mL

Adult female: 3-27 ng/mL

Pregnant female: 20-400 ng/mL

Test explanation and related physiology

 Prolactin is a hormone secreted by the anterior pituitary gland (adenohypophysis). In females, prolactin promotes lactation. Its role in males is not clear. During sleep, prolactin levels increase two- to threefold to circulating levels equaling those of pregnant women. With breast stimulation, pregnancy, nursing, stress, or exercise, a surge of this hormone occurs. It is elevated in patients with prolactin-secreting pituitary acidophilic or chromophobic adenomas. To a lesser extent, moderately high prolactin levels have been observed in women with secondary amenorrhea (i.e., postpubertal) and galactorrhea. Paraneoplastic tumors (e.g., lung cancer) may cause ectopic secretion of prolactin as well. In general, very high prolactin levels are more likely to be caused by pituitary adenoma than other causes.

The prolactin level is helpful for monitoring the disease activity of pituitary adenomas. Several prolactin stimulation tests (with thyrotropin-releasing hormone or chlorpromazine) and prolactin suppression tests (with levodopa) have been designed to help differentiate pituitary adenoma from other causes of prolactin overproduction.

Interfering factors

• Stress from illness, trauma, surgery, or even the fear of a blood test can elevate levels.

 • Prolactin levels are transiently elevated after seizures.

* Drugs that may cause increased values include anticonvulsants, antihistamines, antinausea/antiemetic drugs, antipsychotic drugs, antituberculosis medications, ergot derivatives, estrogens/progesterone, histamine antagonists, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, opiates, oral contraceptives, reserpine, serotonin reuptake inhibitors, several antihypertensive drugs, and some illegal drugs.

* Drugs that may cause decreased values are clonidine, dopa mine, ergot alkaloid derivatives, and levodopa.

Procedure and patient care

• See inside front cover for Routine Blood Testing.

• Fasting: no

 • Blood tube commonly used: red

* Inform the patient that blood should be drawn in the morning.

 • Transfer the specimen to the laboratory as soon as possible. If a delay occurs, the specimen should be placed on ice.

Abnormal findings

 Increased levels

- Galactorrhea

- Amenorrhea

- Prolactin-secreting pituitary tumor

- Infiltrative diseases of the hypothalamus and pituitary stalk

- Hypothyroidism

- Renal failure

- Anorexia nervosa

- Perineoplastic ectopic production of prolactin

- Metastatic cancer to the pituitary gland

- Polycystic ovary syndrome

- Stress

- Empty sella syndrome

Decreased levels

- Pituitary apoplexy

- Pituitary destruction from tumor (craniopharyngioma)

اخر الاخبار

اخبار العتبة العباسية المقدسة

خدمات فكرية وثقافية عديدة قدمها مركز مُلتقى القمر الثقافي لزائري الأربعين

إحياءً لذكرى زيارة الأربعين.. العتبة العباسية المقدسة تواصل إقامة مجلسها العزائي

عبر كاميرات تعمل بالذكاء الاصطناعي.. قسم الاتصالات يوضح تفاصيل جديدة حول آلية عدِّ زائري الأربعين

شعبة الخطابة الحسينية النسوية تواصل نشاطاتها الفكرية والثقافية في مجمع الشيخ الكليني

المزيد

الآخبار الصحية

حجم جزء محدد من الجسم يعكس الصحة العامة ومخاطر الأمراض

تفشي عدوى بكتيرية بفرنسا يحتمل ارتباطها بنوع من الجبن الطري

دراسة حديثة تكشف ما تفعله الشاشات بـ"قلوب الأطفال" !

متلازمة المبنى المريض.. هكذا يتحول تكييف الهواء إلى خطر صحي ؟؟

المزيد

الآخبار التكنلوجية

كيف تتعامل مع حرارة الطقس أثناء القيادة؟

لماذا يجب عليك إيقاف تكييف السيارة قبل إطفاء المحرك؟

دراسة تكشف سببا محتملا وراء زيادة خطر إصابة الأطفال بالتوحد

تشيلي.. العثور على متحجرة حيوان ثديي صغير من زمن الديناصورات

المزيد

مواضيع ذات صلة

protein C, protein S

prostate-specific antigen (PSA), prostate cancer gene 3 (PCA3), MI-prostate score (MiPS)

Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)

Agglutination Reaction

Precipitation Reaction

Heparins and Fondaparinux

Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (aPTT)

Prothrombin Time (PT)

Diagnosis of Community-Acquired Pneumonia

progesterone receptor assay (PR assay, PRA, PgR)

progesterone assay

pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A)