The Medical Journal of Basrah University

Abstract

ABSTRACT
C-reactive protein has become the subject of avid interest in recent years. Increased concentrations of C-reactive
protein (CRP) became widely accepted as a risk factor of many inflammatory diseases including atherosclerosis,
ischemic vascular diseases, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension and colon cancer. Data evaluating the
concentration of CRP in hyperprolactinemic condition and the effect of bromocriptine on CRP concentration are not
available. Thus the present study was designed to measure the concentration of CRP in a number of women with
hyperprolactinemic amenorrhea and to evaluate the effect of bromocriptine on CRP concentration. The study tackled
sixty women, who had amenorrhea for at least three months and serum prolactin concentration at least twice the
upper limit of normal values. Bromocriptine is administered in a daily dose of 2 (2.5 mg) tablets. Serum prolactin and
serum CRP were assessed before and after bromocriptine administration, using commercial kits. Mean CRP
concentration of the control group was 1.38±1.85 mg/L which is statistically lower than value of 6.35±4.62 mg/L of
the patients before bromocripine therapy (P<0.001). A significant drop of CRP (from a mean of 6.35±4.62 mg/L to a
mean of 2.73±3.14 mg/L) was obtained after treatment with bromocriptine (P<0.001). The correlation between
serum prolactin level and serum CRP level before and after bromocriptine administration was not statistically
significant: r= 0.24, P>0.05 and r = 0.12, P>0.2, respectively. The present study showed that women with
hyperprolactinemic amenorrhea is associated with increased level of CRP and therapy with bromocriptine
significantly reduced CRP, suggesting a possible anti-inflammatory action of bromocriptine in addition to prolactin
lowering effects.