Assessment of macroprolactinemia rate in a training and research hospital from Turkey

Abstract

AbstractObjective:Macroprolactinemia detection is important to avoid unneccessary tests and overtreatment. High prolactin levels require routine screening and clinicians must be aware of macroprolactinemia frequency encountered with the method in use. In this study we aimed to determine the macroprolactinemia rate in our laboratory.Methods:Prolactin results of different patients analysed on two different immunoassay systems within two consecutive years were evaluated. Analyses were performed on Beckman Coulter UniCelResults:For the samples analysed on DxI800 (n=14,958) hyperprolactinemia frequency was 8.1% (n=1208). One of 138 samples submitted for macroprolactin analysis was positive, while three of them were in the gray-zone. For the samples analysed on CobasConclusion:A difference was found between two immunoassay systems used in our laboratory in terms of macroprolactinemia rate. However, inability of simultaneous analyses on both systems, lack of evaluation with gel filtration chromatography, and heterophile antibody blocking tube were the limitations.