Lack of association between serum leptin levels and hepatic steatosis, fibrosis or response to antiviral therapy in Korean chronic hepatitis C patients.
OBJECTIVE
Leptin has been recently implicated in the development of hepatic steatosis and fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infection. The serum levels of leptin are known to be strongly affected by anthropometric parameters such as body mass index (BMI) and total body fat, which show differences between races or ethnicities. In this study, we examined whether serum leptin levels are correlated with clinical, virological, and histological features, and with response to antiviral therapy in Korean CHC patients.


METHODS
We evaluated correlations between serum leptin level and age, sex, BMI, fasting glucose, alanine aminotransferase, genotype, hepatitis C virus RNA titer, steatosis, fibrosis, and response to antiviral therapy after 24 weeks completing 24 weeks of interferon-alpha based therapy in 47 Korean CHC patients.


RESULTS
Of the variables examined, only female sex and a BMI > 25kg/m2 were identified as independent variables related to a higher leptin level by multivariate analysis. Baseline leptin levels and leptin changes before/after antiviral therapy were not correlated with response to therapy.


CONCLUSIONS
In Korean CHC patients, serum leptin levels were found to be correlated with anthropometric parameters, but not with virological or histological features. In addition, serum leptin levels did not predict response to antiviral therapy.
Gwak
Geum-Youn
GY
Department of Internal Medicine and Liver Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 28 Yungun-dong Chongno-gu, Seoul 110-744, Republic of Korea.
Kim
Tae Hun
TH
Yu
Su Jong
SJ
Yoon
Jung-Hwan
JH
Yong
Jin Jung
JJ
Park
Su Cheol
SC
Lee
Hyo-Suk
HS
D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D044466:Asian People; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood*; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D020738:Leptin; D012367:RNA, Viral