Low circulating leptin levels in protein-energy malnourished chronically ill elderly patients.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate serum leptin, a fat cell-derived protein, levels in relation to the malnutrition often observed in chronic disease.


METHODS
A comparison of circulating leptin concentrations in malnourished chronically ill elderly and in age-matched controls.


METHODS
A university-affiliated teaching hospital in Stockholm, Sweden.


METHODS
Nineteen protein-energy malnourished elderly patients (74 +/- 1 years) with various chronic nonmalignant diseases and 18 healthy controls (72 +/- 1 years).


METHODS
Serum leptin levels measured by radioimmunoassay technique, nutritional status as expressed by body mass index (kg m[-2]), triceps skin fold, arm muscle circumference and serum albumin, and serum orosomucoid concentrations indicating inflammatory status.


RESULTS
Patients and controls displayed body mass indexes of 17.4 +/- 0.7 and 25.0 +/- 1.1 (P < 0.001), respectively. Triceps skin fold (TSF) measurements revealed a pronounced fat depletion in the patients, being 8.5 +/- 0.9 and 22.3 +/- 1.5 mm (P < 0.001) in female and 6.1 +/- 0.7 and 10.8 +/- 0.8 mm (P < 0.001) in male patients and controls, respectively. Patient serum leptin concentrations were less than half of the corresponding concentrations in the controls, 4.3 +/- 1.1 and 9.3 +/- 1.3 ng mL(-1)(P < 0.01), respectively. The highest leptin concentrations were registered in female controls, 12.1 +/- 1.6 ng mL(-1). The serum leptin levels in the controls correlated with TSF (r = 0.74: P < 0.001). No such correlation was found in the patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Serum leptin levels were low and did not seem to be directly associated with fat and muscle depletion in elderly patients with chronic illness, whereas they appeared to be positively correlated to body fat in healthy elderly.
Cederholm
T
T
Department of Geriatric Medicine, Karolinska Institute at the Centre for Inflammation & Hematology Research, Huddinge University Hospital, Sweden. tommy.cederholm@ger.svso.sll.se
Arner
P
P
Palmblad
J
J
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism*; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009961:Orosomucoid / Q000378:metabolism; D011502:Protein-Energy Malnutrition / Q000097:blood*; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000378:metabolism
D020738:Leptin; D009961:Orosomucoid; D011506:Proteins; D012709:Serum Albumin