Macroprolactinemia no to be confused with macroprolactinoma

I received an very interesting and informative email the other day from my tumor friend Erika :)  I asked her if I could post it because I thought it was fascinating and I think EVERYONE should be aware of this...I have edited her email a little (with her permission) just to take out some of the personal stuff.  Here it is:

"I wanted to let you know about some really, really interesting info I found out from my endocrinologist at last night's appointment. (If you already know this info, stop reading at any point! It was completely new to me and I don't remember reading about it on your blog anywhere, so I have a feeling it may be new to you too).

 

My doctor is having me tested for Macroprolactinemia, which sounds so similar to "macroprolactinoma" but is very different. Basically, it means that some people have raised prolactin due to a tumor, let's say, and so they will test positive on prolactin tests. However, someone with macroprolactinemia also has an enzyme naturally present in their blood which acts as an antibody against the prolactin. It's kind of like how your immune system defends against illness - macroprolactinemia defends against prolactin's negative side effects. Apparently the test for macroprolactinemia has been used in tests for years but it's only been available to the public more recently (not sure exactly how long). Once this is confirmed in a person, it means that future MRIs and observation aren't really needed because the prolactin is balanced out by the macroprolacinemia, naturally. Some reports showed that of people with high prolactin tests, 22% also have macroprolactinemia, and now doctors are saying more people should be tested for this. I can't believe I hadn't heard of it until last night!"

 

Has anyone else heard of this and does anyone know where to find info on it?  I've done some basic googling but have yet to find out much.  I'm still looking into it and will post more when I know more!  Please share if you can!