Lee YH, et al. - The correlation between circulating prolactin (PRL) levels and psoriasis, and between serum/plasma PRL levels and psoriasis severity was comprehensively assessed in this trial. Higher circulating PRL levels were discovered in patients with psoriasis. It was inferred that PRL levels could associate with psoriasis severity.

Methods

• A comparative assessment was conducted of the serum/plasma PRL levels in patients with psoriasis with those of HCs.
• This study inspected the correlation coefficients for circulating PRL levels and psoriasis severity based on Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI).

Results

• 12 studies examining 446 patients with psoriasis and 401 HCs were selected.
• Considerably higher PRL levels were discovered in the psoriasis group than in the HC group [standardized mean difference (SMD) 0.54; 95% CI = 0.18-090; P < 0.01).
• Stratification by age and sex unveiled a notably higher PRL level in the psoriasis group (SMD = 0.53; 95% CI = 0.15-0.91; P < 0.01).
• Subgroup analysis by sample size illustrated a prominently higher PRL level with larger sample sizes (n ≥ 80) (SMD = 0.51, 95% CI = 0.07-0.95, P = 0.02), but not with smaller sample sizes (n < 80) in the psoriasis group.
• A notably higher level of PRL was found in the sera, but not plasma of the psoriasis group, through the stratification by sample type.
• On appraisal of the correlation coefficients, it demonstrated a positive, although not statistically significant, correlation between circulating PRL levels and PASI (correlation coefficient = 0.48, 95% CI = -0.05 to 0.80, P = 0.08).