[Serum leptin level in hemodialysis patients and its relation to their nutritional status].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the leptin levels of hemodialysis (HD) patients and the relation to their nutritional status.


METHODS
Thirty maintenance hemodialysis patients and thirty healthy control subjects were recruited for the study. Blood was drawn after an overnight fast. Serum leptin was measured using a human leptin RIA kit. There were also blood tests to measure BUN, creatinine, serum albumin, transferrin, prealbumin, insulin, cholesterol etc.


RESULTS
Mean serum leptin concentration was significantly higher in the HD group than that in the control (P < 0.01). HD group had significantly higher concentrations of BUN, creatinine, serum albumin, transferrin and prealbumin (P < 0.01). Leptin levels in HD patients correlated positively with body mass index (BMI), total systemic flow (TSF), and concentration of insulin (r = 0.53, 0.66, 0.57, respectively, P < 0.01). No significant correlations were observed in HD patients between leptin and BUN or creatinine, or between leptin and nutritional indices.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data suggests that leptin is markedly increased in HD patients. Serum leptin correlates strongly with BMI, TSF and insulin level. No significant correlations were observed in HD patients between leptin and other indices.
Liu
H
H
Division of Nephrology, Fuxing Hospital, Capital University of Medicine,Beijing 100038, China.
Wang
Y
Y
Yao
Y
Y
Li
G
G
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D014511:Uremia / Q000097:blood / Q000628:therapy*
D020738:Leptin