The differences of clinical picture of macroprolactinomas and their response to medicamental therapy with dopamine agonists between men and women

The data about sex-specific differences of clinical signs and symptoms of macroprolactinomas and their response to medicamental therapy with dopamine agonists between men and women are reported. The present study included 306 patients (the men to women ratio 1.4:1) presenting with macroprolactinomas. Large and giant neoplasms were shown to predominate in men regardless of their age accompanied by clinical symptoms associated with the so-called «mass effect» of the tumour. The occurrence of macroprolactinomas of different size depended on the age of the patients. The majority of the young women had tumours of large and intermediate size and exhibited clinical features of hyperprolactinemic hypogonadism while those aged above 40 years had large and giant tumours accompanied by the symptoms of their «mass effect». The medicamental treatment with cabergolin was equally efficacious in both men and women.