Assessment of prolactin associated platelet activation in ischemic stroke

Objectives: We aimed to investigate whether there were any relations between prolactin levels, prolactin associated platelet activation and ischemic stroke, and whether they had role in etiology of ischemic stroke. Materials and methods: Totally 57 patients with the diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke and 43 age and sex matched controls with no history of ischemic vascular diseases were included in the study. Prolactin levels, mean platelet volume (MPV) a marker of platelet activation, and platelet count, of the patients, after 12 hours of fasting, compared with the measurements of control group. Results: Patients had significantly higher prolactin levels. A correlation between prolactin levels and early measurements of MPV was not detected. While there was no difference in terms of MPV, the platelet count was significantly higher in the patient group. Conclusions: In the present study, the existence of an effect of prolactin on the mean platelet volume, or a relationship between early ischemic stroke and MPV could not be shown. However, in ischemic stroke patients, in early phase, presence of higher levels of prolactin and platelet count may be meaningful in etiology of ischemic events. Besides, presence of higher prolactin levels in early phase of ischemic stroke may lead to consider the potential role of prolactin elevation in ischemic stroke pathogenesis.