Prolactin and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate: are they related to the severity of chronic urticaria?

Background And Aims: Elevated prolactin and reduced dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) levels are associated with autoimmune diseases. A limited number of studies have investigated these hormones in chronic urticaria (CU). The autologous serum skin test (ASST) reaction has also been linked to autoimmune diseases, and a positive reaction is usually associated with a more severe disease. We aimed to compare serum prolactin and DHEA-S levels between female CU patients with positive and negative ASST reactions and healthy controls.

Methods: The study included 30 female CU patients with a positive ASST reaction, 30 female CU patients with a negative ASST reaction, and 30 healthy female controls. All identifiable causes of urticaria were excluded. Serum prolactin and DHEA-S levels were measured in all subjects.

Results: Prolactin was significantly higher among ASST positive patients than among ASST negative patients and controls but did not differ between ASST negative patients or controls. Higher prolactin levels were associated with increasing disease severity among ASST positive patients. DHEA-S levels did not differ between ASST positive or negative patients but were significantly lower among both patient subgroups than controls. DHEA-S levels did not differ according to the severity of disease among either of the patient subgroups. DHEA-S levels did not correlate with prolactin among any group.

Conclusion: We demonstrate for the first time a possible role for prolactin in ASST-positive CU patients and its association with disease severity. We recommend larger prospective studies to assess changes in prolactin and DHEA-S levels after complete disease remission.