title: Absence of a positive correlation between CRP and leptin in rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a model of chronic inflammatory disease. In this study we evaluated the correlation of leptin and CRP in patients with RA and normal controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 75 patients with RA and 40 healthy adults were recruited in this case-control study. RA patients were categorized into high (DAS-28 > 3.2) and low activity (DAS ≤ 3.2) group according to their DAS-28 score.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Leptin level was significantly correlated with CRP in healthy controls (r = 0.365; p < 0.05), but this correlation was lost in RA patients (r = 0.095, p = 0.41). Patients with RA had higher serum leptin levels compared to healthy controls (P < 0.01). No difference in serum leptin level was observed between patients with high and low activity disease. Also leptin was correlated with BMI in healthy controls (r = 0.326, p = 0.037). This correlation was not present in RA patients (r = 0.039, p = 0.756).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We observed that the physiologic correlation between leptin and CRP and BMI and CRP was not present RA patients. This is a new study reporting the lost correlation between leptin and CRP in RA patients.
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology Research Center, Vali-Asr Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Seyed Reza
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Najafizadeh
authors.affiliation: Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center (EMRC), Vali-Asr Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Ghasem
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Farahmand
authors.affiliation: Hamedan University of Medical Sciences, Hamedan, Iran.
authors.forename: Ahmad Tahamoli
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Roudsari
authors.affiliation: Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center (EMRC), Vali-Asr Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Behnam
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Heidari
authors.affiliation: Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center (EMRC), Vali-Asr Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mehrdad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Larry
authors.affiliation: Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center (EMRC), Vali-Asr Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Arash Aghajani
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Nargesi
authors.affiliation: Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center (EMRC), Vali-Asr Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Atieh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pajouhi
authors.affiliation: Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center (EMRC), Vali-Asr Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Esteghamati
authors.affiliation: Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center (EMRC), Vali-Asr Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Manouchehr
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakhjavani
keywords: Endocrinology; Immunology; Internal medicine; Medicine