Prevalence of Hyperprolactinaemia in Female Premenopausal Blood Donors
February 2013
in “
Clinical Endocrinology
”
TLDR A small number of premenopausal female blood donors had high prolactin levels, often due to stress, and retesting is recommended to prevent misdiagnosis.
The study, which included 393 premenopausal female blood donors, found that hyperprolactinaemia was present in 4.1% of the participants, with only 0.6% of the total population having macroprolactinaemia. The majority of cases were likely due to stress rather than pathological causes. Hormonal contraceptives did not significantly affect the prevalence of hyperprolactinaemia. The researchers suggested that women with elevated serum prolactin levels should be retested to avoid unnecessary diagnostic procedures, as stress and macroprolactinaemia could lead to misdiagnosis. The study's limitations included a sample that might not represent the general population and a potential underestimation of hyperprolactinaemia prevalence. The research was funded by various Spanish institutions and declared no conflicts of interest.