DOI: https://doi.org/10.36347/sasjm.2026.v12i05.010

Pages: 419-422

Background and Aims: Hyperprolactinemia has been reported in patients with cirrhosis, but its relationship to disease severity remains incompletely defined. We aimed to evaluate serum prolactin levels in patients with cirrhosis and to correlate them with clinical, biochemical, and prognostic parameters. Methods: This was a prospective observational study of 50 patients with cirrhosis. Serum prolactin levels were measured and correlated with Child-Pugh class, MELD-Na score, and individual markers of liver dysfunction. Associations were assessed using one-way ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis test and Pearson correlation as appropriate. Results: The mean age was 51.98 ± 11.38 years with a male predominance (88%). Ascites and hepatic encephalopathy were present in 100% and 34%, respectively. The majority were Child-Pugh class C (72%) with a mean MELD-Na of 24.16 ± 8.12. Mean serum prolactin was elevated at 28.58 ± 26.89 ng/mL. Prolactin increased significantly across Child-Pugh classes (11.46, 26.24,37.66 ng/mL for Class A, B, C; p = 0.023) and trended up with higher MELD-Na, but did not correlate with individual biochemical parameters. Alcohol was the predominant etiology (80%). Conclusions: Serum prolactin is significantly elevated in cirrhosis and increases stepwise with worsening Child-Pugh class. Prolactin may serve as an adjunctive biomarker of disease severity in cirrhosis. Further studies are needed to validate these findings and to evaluate the clinical utility of prolactin in this setting.