title: Leptin serum levels are not correlated with disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: Leptin, the ob gene product, has been proposed as a mediator of inflammatory cytokine-dependent decreased food intake and cachexia in rodents. In humans, leptin serum levels increase after administration of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) or interleukin-2 or during septicemia. However, the effect of human chronic inflammatory disease on serum leptin is unknown. We therefore determined the serum leptin level (radioimmunoassay), body mass index (BMI), percent body fat ([%BF] bioelectrical impedance analysis), and disease activity (Disease Activity Score [DAS]) in 58 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 16 controls. The BMI, %BF, serum leptin, and ratio of leptin to %BF (leptin/%BF) did not differ significantly in 25 patients with moderate RA activity (DAS, 3.6 +/- 0.5), 33 patients with low RA activity (DAS, 1.8 +/- 0.5), and controls. A positive correlation for serum leptin and %BF was detected in all groups. Our data indicate that in RA, a human chronic cytokine-mediated inflammatory disease, the serum leptin level is directly related to %BF but not to disease activity.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Medizinische Poliklinik, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Anders
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rihl
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heufelder
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Loch
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schattenkirchner
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D020738:Leptin; D011506:Proteins