Clinical efficacy of bromocriptine and the influence of serum prolactin levels on disease severity in patients with chronic plaque-type psoriasis

Available online 18 May 2013

Peer review under responsibility of Alexandria University Faculty of Medicine.

Figures & data

Table 1 Pre- and post-treatment serum PRL levels in the treated groups.

	Narrowband group (n = 15)	Bromocriptine group (n = 15)	NB-UVB + bromocriptine group (n = 15)	p1
Pre-treatment Prolactin (ng/ml)	6.7 (2.7–11.4)	7.5 (3.2–13.3)	7.2 (3.8–13.9)	0.744
Post-treatment Prolactin (ng/ml)	6.8 (5.0–15.0)	4.9 (1.3–12.2)	1.8 (0.70–4.0)	<0.001^*
p2	0.078	0.001^*	0.001^*

p1: p value for Kruskal Wallis test.

p2: p value for Mann–Whitney test.

Data are expressed as median (min–max).

* Statistically significant at p ⩽ 0.05.

Table 2 Pre- and post-treatment PASI scores in the treated groups.

	Narrowband group (n = 15)	Bromocriptine group (n = 15)	NB-UVB + bromocriptine group (n = 15)	p1
Pre-treatment PASI	19.1 (11.7–31.8)	18.7 (13.7–31.9)	24.0 (12.7–35.7)	0.073
Post-treatment PASI	7.2 (2.5–23.1)	12.7 (1.6–24.5)	11.6 (5.9–37.8)	0.345
p2	0.003^*	0.005^*	0.006^*

p1: p value for Kruskal Wallis test.

p2: p value for Mann–Whitney test.

Data are expressed as median (min–max).

* Statistically significant at p ⩽ 0.05.

Table 3 The number of responders and non-responders in the treated groups.

	Narrowband group (n = 15)	Bromocriptine group (n = 15)	NB-UVB + bromocriptine group (n = 15)	p
PASI reduction
<50%	4 (26.7)	5 (33.3)	0 (0.0)	0.104
⩾50%	9 (60.0)	6 (40.0)	11 (73.3)
Deteriorated cases	2 (13.3)	4 (26.7)	4 (26.7)

Data are expressed as number (percent).

p value for comparing NB-UVB group and bromocriptine group = 0.634.

p value for comparing NB-UVB group and NB-UVB + bromocriptine group = 0.133.

p value for comparing bromocriptine group and NB-UVB + bromocriptine group = 0.055.