title: Metabolic abnormalities in patients with prolactinoma: response to treatment with cabergoline.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hyperprolactinemia has been associated with changes in body composition and metabolic abnormalities. Normalization of prolactin (PRL) with dopamine agonists has been found to reverse these abnormalities. This study was designed to assess the anthropometric and metabolic alterations associated with prolactinoma and response of these abnormalities to cabergoline treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a non-randomised matched prospective design, 19 consecutive patients with prolactinoma (median PRL 118.6 (105.3) μg/L) and 20 controls were studied. The controls were age, gender and body mass index (BMI) matched. Anthropometric data and metabolic variables were studied at baseline, 3 and 6 months after cabergoline treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with prolactinoma had increased level of fasting plasma glucose (P < .001), LDL-cholesterol (P = .001) and triglycerides (TG) (P = .009) as compared to age, gender and BMI matched healthy controls. There was a significant decrease of body weight at 3 months (P = .029), with a further decline at 6 months (P < .001) of cabergoline therapy. In addition, there was a significant decrement of BMI (P < .001), waist circumference (P = .003), waist-hip ratio (P = .03) and total body fat (P = .003) at 6 months of cabergoline treatment. A significant decline in plasma glucose (P < .001), total cholesterol (P = .009), LDL-cholesterol (P < .001) and TG (P < .001) was seen after 6 months of cabergoline treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with prolactinoma have adverse metabolic profile compared with matched controls. Normalization of PRL with cabergoline corrects all the metabolic abnormalities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir India.
authors.forename: Nazir A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Pala
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir India.
authors.forename: Bashir A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Laway
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir India.
authors.forename: Raiz A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Misgar
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatics, Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir India.
authors.forename: Rayees A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Dar
keywords: Cabergoline; Hyperprolactinemia; Insulin resistance; Lipids; Metabolic syndrome; Prolactin