title: Prolactin levels and sexual adverse effects in patients with schizophrenia during antipsychotic treatment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Patients with schizophrenia often experience sexual dysfunction (SD), to which disorder-related factors like negative symptoms and nondisorder-related factors can theoretically contribute. Thus, we investigated the correlation of SD and serum prolactin level in patients with schizophrenia during antipsychotic treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  We included 39 patients with schizophrenia with a mean age of 34.6 years who were switched to second-generation antipsychotics into the study. Sexual adverse effects (via a specific scale) and serum prolactin levels were measured at baseline and week 4.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In males, mean prolactin levels increased over 4 weeks at a trend level of significance. Although a high incidence of SD was reported at baseline, there were no statistically significant changes over the course of 4 weeks. At baseline, a positive correlation between diminished sexual desire and prolactin levels could be found in men, which was not found in women; at week 4, both male and female patients demonstrated a positive correlation between orgastic dysfunction and prolactin levels. We found significant positive correlations between changes in prolactin levels over 4 weeks and changes in orgastic dysfunction for both sexes. Regression analyses showed prolactin levels at baseline to be a predictor of diminished sexual desire in men. Change in prolactin level was found to be a predictor of change for diminished sexual desire in women and for orgastic dysfunction in both sexes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that the potential of antipsychotics to increase serum prolactin levels imposes a certain risk that patients will experience SD of varying severity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Division of Biological Psychiatry, Medical University Innsbruck, Anichstrasse 35, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria. maria.rettenbacher@i-med.ac.at
authors.forename: Maria A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Rettenbacher
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hofer
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ebenbichler
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baumgartner
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Edlinger
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Engl
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaser
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kemmler
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Malik
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tschoner
authors.forename: Walter Wolfgang
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Fleischhacker
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009948:Orgasm / Q000187:drug effects; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood / Q000187:drug effects*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D012735:Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000503:physiopathology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D011388:Prolactin