Hyperprolactinemia during antipsychotics treatment increases the level of coagulation markers.
OBJECTIVE
The strong association between psychiatric patients who receive antipsychotics and the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) is known. Although previous reports suggest that hyperprolactinemia often increases markers of activated coagulation, few studies have examined the direct relationship between the prolactin level elevated by antipsychotics and activated markers of activated coagulation.


METHODS
The participants included 182 patients with schizophrenia (male =89, female =93) who received antipsychotic treatments for at least 3 months. Markers of VTE (D-dimer, fibrin/fibrinogen degradation products, and thrombin-antithrombin complex) and serum prolactin concentrations were measured.


RESULTS
Prolactin levels were significantly correlated with the logarithmic transformation of the D-dimer (r=0.320, P=0.002) and fibrin/fibrinogen degradation product levels (r=0.236, P=0.026) but not of the thrombin-antithrombin complex level (r=0.117, ns) among men. However, no correlations were found between the VTE markers and prolactin levels among women. These results were confirmed using multiple regression analyses that included demographic factors and antipsychotic dosages.


CONCLUSIONS
The current study indicates that hyperprolactinemia is associated with an increase in markers of activated coagulation among men receiving antipsychotics. This finding clinically implies that monitoring and modulating prolactin levels among men are important to decrease the risk of VTE.
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Japan.
Masamichi
M
Ishioka
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Japan.
Norio
N
Yasui-Furukori
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Japan.
Norio
N
Sugawara
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Japan.
Hanako
H
Furukori
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Japan.
Shuhei
S
Kudo
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Japan.
Kazuhiko
K
Nakamura
antipsychotics; prolactin; venous thromboembolism