Prolactin and Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate Levels at first presentation of Acute Optic Neuritis in Comparison with Control Group
Paria Bolourinejad1 , Mohsen Pourazizi2 , Alireza Dehghani2 *
- Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
- Ophthalmology Research Department, Feiz Eye Hospital, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
Abstract: While Acute Optic Neuritis (ON) classically associated with various demyelinating diseases, it could be idiopathic. Studies are evaluating the most cost-effective predictors of AON etiology. Two readily accessible biomarkers including Prolactin (Prl) serves as a mediator in the immune system and Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate (DHEAS) as a neuroactive steroid are controversially playing role in neuroimmunological side of AON.
Methods: This is a case-control study, with 65 patients with AON as the case group and 65 healthy persons serving as the control group at the Feiz Eye Hospital, Isfahan, Iran. Cases were recruited from patients with first episode of AON and age and sex matching of controls was done. We included patients diagnosed with AON in the setting of clinical examinations in the absence of a known diagnosis of demyelination disorder were recruited. All participants underwent ocular examination, neurological examination and MRI acquisition and blood testing to determine the association between Prl and DHEAS and AON and particularly with demyelinating AON.
Results: A total of 130 participants took part in the study; 98 (75.4%) were female and the mean age of case group was 29.69±8.3 years and 29.66±8.36. After neurological and radiological assessment case group was divided into 2 subgroups; Idiopathic AON (N=42) and Demyelinating AON (N=23). Mean age ±SD were 30.24±9.07 and 28.70±6.77 respectively. 87% of Demyelinating AON were female, while in Idiopathic subgroup we had 29 (69%) women. In summary, the present study showed that mean Prl level±SD was 14.45±11.66 which is significantly higher (p=0.035) in patients with AON compared to the control group (11.19±3.71). The highly abnormal prolactin levels were found in 4 patients with first manifestation of AON and none of the participants of control group (p=0.042). The comparison of Idiopathic and Demyelinating subgroups revealed, mean Prl levels in AON associated with serious underlying disease individuals was marginally higher than ither subgroup (p=0.077). Our data didn’t confirm the potential role of DHEAS in the pathogenesis of AON.
Conclusion: There is a high probability of Prl role in the pro-inflammatory regulation mechanism in AON and particularly in underlying demyelinating disease presented with AON.
