Metabolic syndrome, adipokines and hormonal factors in pharmacologically untreated adult elderly subjects from the Brisighella Heart Study historical cohort.
OBJECTIVE
Our aim was to evaluate the relation of the sex hormone pattern and the serum level of the main adipokines with metabolic syndrome (MS) and its components in a cohort of pharmacologically untreated adult elderly subjects.


METHODS
From the historical cohort of the Brisighella Heart Study we selected 199 adult healthy subjects aged 62.5 ± 12.4 years. Men and women included in the age class subgroups were matched for BMI, waist circumference, blood pressure, heart rate, fasting plasma glucose, and plasma lipids. In these subjects we measured leptin, adiponectin, ghrelin, testosterone, estrone, and deydroepiandrosterone sulphate.


RESULTS
Men without MS had significantly lower leptin/adiponectin ratio than men with MS. Women without MS had a lower leptin level and leptin/adiponectin ratio than women with MS, but had significantly higher adiponectin, estrone, and deydroepiandrosterone levels. In men, the leptin/adiponectin ratio is the main factor associated with MS diagnosis (OR 3.36, 95% CI 1.40-8.08), while in women adiponectin alone appears to be a protective factor (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.79-0.95).


CONCLUSIONS
In a sample of pharmacologically untreated adult elderly subjects, leptin/adiponectin ratio seems to be the factor that is more strongly associated with MS (especially in men) and its components, though this is true to a different degree in men and women.
Internal Medicine, Aging and Kidney Disease Department, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy. afgcicero@cardionet.it
Arrigo F G
AF
Cicero
Paolo
P
Magni
Massimo
M
Moré
Massimiliano
M
Ruscica
Claudio
C
Borghi
Felice
F
Strollo
D052242:Adiponectin / Q000097:blood*; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000097:blood*; D004970:Estrone / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors
D052242:Adiponectin; D015415:Biomarkers; D020738:Leptin; D004970:Estrone; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone