Abstract
Prolactin has many physiological effects and seems to be involved in the human
quality of life and well-being. The aim of this study was to describe health
related quality of life, fatigue and daytime sleepiness in women with untreated
hyperprolactinemia. In total 32 women (mean age 37.0±10.9 years) with
verified hyperprolactinemia completed a questionnaire including questions on
fatigue, measured with the Swedish version of the Fatigue Impact Scale (FIS),
propensity to fall in sleep, measured with the Swedish version of the Epworth
Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and Health related quality of life (HRQoL), measured by
the Short-Form-36 scale (SF-36). For comparison Swedish normative data were
used. The women were also interviewed regarding different symptoms related to
hyperprolactinemia and the answers were analyzed using qualitative content
analysis. HRQoL, as measured with SF-36, was significantly lower in all
dimensions, except in physical function, compared to the Swedish reference
population. Total FIS was 54.3 (41.1) and mean score on the ESS was 8.7 (4.2)
indicating increased fatigue and deterioration in night sleep. The women felt
very tired, and several of them rarely felt rested in the morning. The restless
night sleep and the fatigue during the daytime got them to feel feeble and
sometimes to find it difficult to concentrate, which affected both their mood
and life in general. Women diagnosed with hyperprolactinemia reported
deterioration in night sleep, increased rate of fatigue, and a reduced health
related quality of life in comparison with the reference population.
Key words
prolactin - hyperprolactinemia - HRQoL - SF-36