title: Circulating adiponectin as a marker for glucocorticoid-related side effects in children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease.
abstract: Glucocorticoid therapy is widely used in clinical practice. However, treatment with steroids carries the risk of side effects. We investigated changes in serum adiponectin and leptin in response to systemic glucocorticoid treatment in 18 pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease and contrasted these findings to circulating glucocorticoid bioactivity measured with a mammalian cell bioassay. Interestingly, serum adiponectin levels at 2 to 4 weeks of therapy were significantly higher in patients who experienced acute glucocorticoid-related side effects (22.9 +/- 2.6 microg/mL, n = 7) than in those who did not (16.0 +/- 2.1 microg/mL, n = 11, P < 0.05). Serum leptin was not associated with side effects. Circulating adiponectin may serve as an early and readily available endogenous biomarker for acute glucocorticoid-related side effects in pediatric patients.
authors.affiliation: Hospital for Children and Adolescents, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland. marianne.vihinen@helsinki.fi
authors.forename: Marianne K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Vihinen
authors.forename: Kaija-Leena
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Kolho
authors.forename: Olli A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Jänne
authors.forename: Sture
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.forename: Taneli
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Raivio