title: Serum leptin concentrations in chronic hepatitis.
abstract: The objectives of this research were to investigate the leptin levels among Chronic Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), Chronic Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and non-alcoholic steatosis hepatitis (NASH) diseases of Thai patients compared with controls. Twenty of each HBV, HCV and NASH patients compared with sixty people as the control group from the Outpatient Department at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Bangkok, Thailand were investigated. Fasting blood samples were collected for investigation of leptin concentration, liver enzyme function tests and hematological variables. The serum leptin concentration of liver patients was significantly higher than that of control subjects. It might be due to the accumulations of fat cells in liver disease patients. However, there is no relationship between leptin level and other parameters such as BMI, ALT, AST, ALP and hematological variables. Liver enzyme functions levels are much higher in patients groups. White blood cells counts, platelets and hematocrit values are slightly lower in liver disease patients. Therefore, it is concluded that physiological regulation of leptin maintains in relation to body fat, even in chronic viral liver diseases. This finding and the apparent stage suggest the possibility that in the course of chronic viral diseases, serum leptin levels may reflect the extent of liver dysfunction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Tropical Nutrition and Food Science, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University., Rajthevee, Bangkok 10400 Thailand. tmrtg@mahidol.ac.th
authors.forename: Rungsunn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tungtrongchitr
authors.forename: Sombat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Treeprasertsuk
authors.forename: Nyein Nyein
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Ei
authors.forename: Apanchanid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thepouyporn
authors.forename: Benjaluck
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Phonrat
authors.forename: Arun
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Huntrup
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D020738:Leptin