Serum prolactin levels in dermatological diseases: A case–control study

Background: Recent lines of evidence suggest that prolactin (PRL) as a neurohormone may play a role in the activity of psoriasis and some other immune-mediated diseases. Our aim was to evaluate the correlation between serum PRL levels and severity of psoriasis, vitiligo and alopecia areata. Patients and methods: We performed a case–control study on 100 subjects: 75 patients; suffering from psoriasis, vitiligo and alopecia areata; 25 patients in each group and 25 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Results: Serum prolactin levels were significantly high in all three dermatological diseases in comparison with the control group (P = 0.000). The mean ± SD of the serum prolactin levels was 21.8 ± 11.5 ng/ml, 16.9 ± 6.8 ng/ml, and 16.6 ± 8.0 ng/ml in patients with alopecia areata, psoriasis and vitiligo respectively. Moreover, the serum prolactin levels in patients with alopecia areata and psoriasis were significantly correlated with disease severity (P 0.05), however no statistically significant correlation was noted between vitiligo severity and serum prolactin levels (P 0.05). Conclusions: Prolactin may play a role in the pathogenesis of alopecia areata, psoriasis, and vitiligo; and may serve as a biological marker of disease activity in patients with psoriasis and alopecia areata.