Prolactin levels in Behcet's disease: no correlation with disease manifestations and activity

Objective: To assess prolactin level and its possible role in the pathogene sis and disease expression of patients with Behcets disease (BD), Materials and Methods: Twenty-eight patients with the diagnosis of Behcet's disease were selected, They all fulfilled the international criteria for E D. The control group consisted of 17 males and 6 females. Patients are divi ded into subgroups according to the clinical and paraclinical characteristi cs such as disease duration, ocular, articular and neurological involvement . Serum prolactin was measured by ELISA using Merck Kits on a Maggia 7000 A nalyser. The normal range in males was < 17 ng/ml in males and < 18 ng/ml i n females. The mean PR, level in each group and subgroup was calculated and compared with Student's t test. Results: The mean prolactin level in the ED group (mean = 13.76, SD=6.82), was higher than in the control group (mean=10.13, SD=5.46) with no statisti cally significant difference. The mean prolactin levels in all subgroups of patients with ED were higher than normal, but no statistically significant difference was shown between these subgroups, Conclusion: Hyperprolactinemia occurred in a small number of patients with ED and its significance remained unclear. Serum PRL level did not correlate with disease manifestations and activity.