title: Pancreatic hyperechogenicity associated with hypoadiponectinemia and insulin resistance: A Japanese population study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the relationship between pancreatic hyperechogenicity and risk factors for metabolic syndrome.
  
  
  METHODS
  A general population-based survey of lifestyle-related diseases was conducted from 2005 to 2006 in Japan. The study involved 551 participants older than 40 year of age. Data for 472 non-diabetic adults were included in the analysis. The measures included the demographic factors, blood parameters, results of a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test, and abdominal ultrasonography. The echogenicity of the pancreas and liver was compared, and then the subjects were separated into two groups: cases with pancreatic hyperechogenicity (n= 208) and cases without (controls,n= 264). The differences between both groups were compared using an unpairedt-test or Fisher's exact test. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between the pancreatic hyperechogenicity and clinical and biochemical parameters.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Subjects with pancreatic hyperechogenicity had decreased serum adiponectin concentration compared to control subjects [8.9 (6.5, 12.8)vs11.1 (7.8, 15.9),P< 0.001] and more frequently exhibited features of metabolic syndrome. Logistic regression analysis showed that the following variables were significantly and independently associated with pancreatic hyperechogenicity: Presence of hypoadiponectinemia, increased body mass index (BMI), higher homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) score, and presence of fatty liver. Similar associations were also observed in subjects with pancreatic hyperechogenicity without fatty liver. Multivariate association analysis of data from participants without fatty liver showed that hypoadiponectinemia was significantly associated with pancreatic hyperechogenicity (OR = 0.93, 95%CI: 0.90 - 0.97,P< 0.001). This association was independent of other confounding variables. Additionally, an increased BMI and higher HOMA-IR score were significantly associated with pancreatic hyperechogenicity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pancreatic hyperechogenicity is independently associated with increased BMI, insulin resistance, and hypoadiponectinemia in the general population.
authors.affiliation: Naohiko Makino, Nakao Shirahata, Teiichiro Honda, Yoshiaki Ando, Akiko Matsuda, Yushi Ikeda, Miho Ito, Yuko Nishise, Takafumi Saito, Yoshiyuki Ueno, Department of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata University, Yamagata 990-9585, Japan.
authors.forename: Naohiko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Makino
authors.affiliation: Naohiko Makino, Nakao Shirahata, Teiichiro Honda, Yoshiaki Ando, Akiko Matsuda, Yushi Ikeda, Miho Ito, Yuko Nishise, Takafumi Saito, Yoshiyuki Ueno, Department of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata University, Yamagata 990-9585, Japan.
authors.forename: Nakao
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shirahata
authors.affiliation: Naohiko Makino, Nakao Shirahata, Teiichiro Honda, Yoshiaki Ando, Akiko Matsuda, Yushi Ikeda, Miho Ito, Yuko Nishise, Takafumi Saito, Yoshiyuki Ueno, Department of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata University, Yamagata 990-9585, Japan.
authors.forename: Teiichiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Honda
authors.affiliation: Naohiko Makino, Nakao Shirahata, Teiichiro Honda, Yoshiaki Ando, Akiko Matsuda, Yushi Ikeda, Miho Ito, Yuko Nishise, Takafumi Saito, Yoshiyuki Ueno, Department of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata University, Yamagata 990-9585, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ando
authors.affiliation: Naohiko Makino, Nakao Shirahata, Teiichiro Honda, Yoshiaki Ando, Akiko Matsuda, Yushi Ikeda, Miho Ito, Yuko Nishise, Takafumi Saito, Yoshiyuki Ueno, Department of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata University, Yamagata 990-9585, Japan.
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.affiliation: Naohiko Makino, Nakao Shirahata, Teiichiro Honda, Yoshiaki Ando, Akiko Matsuda, Yushi Ikeda, Miho Ito, Yuko Nishise, Takafumi Saito, Yoshiyuki Ueno, Department of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata University, Yamagata 990-9585, Japan.
authors.forename: Yushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.affiliation: Naohiko Makino, Nakao Shirahata, Teiichiro Honda, Yoshiaki Ando, Akiko Matsuda, Yushi Ikeda, Miho Ito, Yuko Nishise, Takafumi Saito, Yoshiyuki Ueno, Department of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata University, Yamagata 990-9585, Japan.
authors.forename: Miho
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.affiliation: Naohiko Makino, Nakao Shirahata, Teiichiro Honda, Yoshiaki Ando, Akiko Matsuda, Yushi Ikeda, Miho Ito, Yuko Nishise, Takafumi Saito, Yoshiyuki Ueno, Department of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata University, Yamagata 990-9585, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nishise
authors.affiliation: Naohiko Makino, Nakao Shirahata, Teiichiro Honda, Yoshiaki Ando, Akiko Matsuda, Yushi Ikeda, Miho Ito, Yuko Nishise, Takafumi Saito, Yoshiyuki Ueno, Department of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata University, Yamagata 990-9585, Japan.
authors.forename: Takafumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.affiliation: Naohiko Makino, Nakao Shirahata, Teiichiro Honda, Yoshiaki Ando, Akiko Matsuda, Yushi Ikeda, Miho Ito, Yuko Nishise, Takafumi Saito, Yoshiyuki Ueno, Department of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata University, Yamagata 990-9585, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ueno
authors.affiliation: Naohiko Makino, Nakao Shirahata, Teiichiro Honda, Yoshiaki Ando, Akiko Matsuda, Yushi Ikeda, Miho Ito, Yuko Nishise, Takafumi Saito, Yoshiyuki Ueno, Department of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata University, Yamagata 990-9585, Japan.
authors.forename: Sumio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kawata
keywords: Adiponectin; Metabolic syndrome; Obesity; Pancreatic hyperechogenicity; The Takahata study