Acquired hypoprolactinemia in men, possible phenotype

The physiological role of prolactin (PRL) in men is still not well defined. The pathological increase is characterized by sexual function impairment along with possible negative consequences in body composition and metabolic profile. Conversely, the clinical significance of reduced PRL levels was on...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inReviews in endocrine & metabolic disorders Vol. 25; no. 6; pp. 1109 - 1119
Main Authors Corona, Giovanni, Rastrelli, Giulia, Sparano, Clotilde, Vignozzi, Linda, Maggi, Mario
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York Springer US 01.12.2024
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects
Body composition
Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus
Endocrinology
Humans
Internal Medicine
Male
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Metabolism
Phenotype
Phenotypes
Prolactin
Prolactin - blood
Prolactin - metabolism
Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological - etiology
Metabolic sydrome
Prolactine
Erectile dysfunction
Hypoprolactinemia
Diabetes mellitus
Sexual dysfunction
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Summary:The physiological role of prolactin (PRL) in men is still not well defined. The pathological increase is characterized by sexual function impairment along with possible negative consequences in body composition and metabolic profile. Conversely, the clinical significance of reduced PRL levels was only partially investigated or mainly neglected. The present paper aims to summarize and critically discuss possible phenotypes characterizing male subjects with reduced PRL levels. When possible, meta-analytic results were provided. Available data derived from patients seeking medical care for sexual dysfunction as well as from cross-sectional and longitudinal studies showed that low PRL in males is associated with a worse metabolic phenotype (including diabetes mellitus), mood disturbances (including anxiety and depression), and sexual dysfunctions (including psychogenic erectile and ejaculatory dysfunctions). Whether or not these features are direct consequences of reduced PRL levels or whether the latter reflect other pathway impairments such as serotoninergic failure cannot be clarified. The present data, however, emphasize that a deficiency of PRL should be taken into account and need further investigations.
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ISSN:1389-9155
1573-2606
1573-2606
DOI:10.1007/s11154-024-09895-9