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Patients with SLE show increased leptin levels, normal adiponectin levels
Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus had elevated serum levels of leptin but not adiponectin, and neither were correlated with disease activity, according to recently published research.
Researchers studied 52 female patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) diagnosed according to American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification criteria who were hospitalized or in the outpatient setting at the Rheumatology Department in the Hospital das Clínicas, Medicine School at the Universidade Federal de Goiás in Goiânia, Brazil. Thirty-three healthy women matched for age were also recruited as controls.
Patients with SLE were classified into a subgroup of 21 patients with active disease and a subgroup of 31 patients with inactive disease who did not differ in disease duration or BMI. Patients younger than 18 years old were excluded, and other exclusion criteria included pregnancy, history of myocardial infarction or diabetes, liver disease, renal failure, use of prednisone doses higher than 20 mg per day and BMI higher than 30. There was no statistical age difference between groups, but BMI was higher in the patients with SLE.
Patient demographics, age at disease onset, disease duration, symptoms and other data were collected and a physical examination was performed. Laboratory examination included a lipid profile, fasting glucose, inflammatory markers, and leptin and adiponectin levels. In patients who did not have a record of autoantibodies on record, laboratory tests were administered, including antinuclear antibodies (ANA), anti-DNA assessment and extractable nuclear antigens (ENA) panel.
Disease activity was assessed using the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI). A SLEDAI score of higher than three was considered active disease.
The metabolic analysis showed no difference between groups by total and LDL cholesterol, but differences were seen in blood glucose levels, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides, according to the researchers.
No significant differences in adiponectin levels were seen in patients with SLE or participants in the control group, nor between patients with active and inactive disease; however, leptin levels were significantly higher in patients with SLE. Patients with SLE had mean levels of 20.7 ng/mL compared with a mean level of 8 ng/mL in healthy participants; however, no significant differences were seen between patients with active or inactive disease, according to the researchers.
Leptin was correlated with HDL cholesterol and with BMI. Leptin also positively correlated with the antibodies aCL and La, and high levels of leptin were associated with renal involvement. No association was seen with SLEDAI scores, according to the researchers. - by Shirley Pulawski
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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