title: Plasma levels of acylated ghrelin in patients with functional dyspepsia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the relationship between plasma acylated ghrelin levels and the pathophysiology of functional dyspepsia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-two female patients with functional dyspepsia and twelve healthy volunteers were recruited for the study. The functional dyspepsia patients were each diagnosed based on the Rome III criteria. Eligible patients completed a questionnaire concerning the severity of 10 symptoms. Plasma acylated ghrelin levels before and after a meal were determined in the study participants using a commercial human acylated enzyme immunoassay kit; electrogastrograms were performed for 50 min before and after a standardized 10-min meal containing 265 kcal.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no significant differences in plasma acylated ghrelin levels between healthy volunteers and patients with functional dyspepsia. However, in patients with functional dyspepsia, there was a negative correlation between fasting plasma acylated ghrelin levels and the sum score of epigastric pain (r = -0.427, P = 0.047) and a positive correlation between the postprandial/fasting plasma acylated ghrelin ratio and the sum score of early satiety (r = 0.428, P =0.047). Additionally, there was a negative correlation between fasting acylated ghrelin plasma levels and fasting normogastria (%) (r = -0.522, P = 0.013). Interestingly, two functional dyspepsia patients showed paradoxically elevated plasma acylated ghrelin levels after the meal.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Abnormal plasma acylated ghrelin levels before or after a meal may be related to several of the dyspeptic symptoms seen in patients with functional dyspepsia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Soonchunhyang University Hospital, Seoul 140-743, South Korea.
authors.forename: Yeon Soo
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Joon Seong
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Tae Hee
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Joo Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Jin Oh
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Wan Jung
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyun Gun
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Seong Ran
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.forename: Hoe Su
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Jeong
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000215:Acylation; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004415:Dyspepsia / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D004568:Electrodiagnosis; D005260:Female; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D019518:Postprandial Period; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013270:Stomach / Q000503:physiopathology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: C515349:GHRL protein, human; D054439:Ghrelin