Ghrelin, leptin and insulin in cirrhotic children and adolescents: relationship with cirrhosis severity and nutritional status.
ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012;
180:26-32. [PMID:
23142314 DOI:
10.1016/j.regpep.2012.10.004]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2011] [Revised: 06/29/2012] [Accepted: 10/17/2012] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
Ghrelin, leptin, and insulin concentrations are involved in the control of food intake and they seem to be associated with anorexia-cachexia in cirrhotic patients. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between the nutritional status and fasting ghrelin, leptin and insulin concentrations in pediatric cirrhotic patients.
METHODS
Thirty-nine patients with cirrhosis and 39 healthy controls aged 0-15 years matched by sex and age were enrolled. Severity of liver disease was assessed by Child-Pugh classification, and Pediatric for End Stage Liver Disease (PELD) or Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores. Blood samples were collected from patients and controls to assay total ghrelin, acyl ghrelin, leptin and insulin by using a commercial ELISA kit. Anthropometry parameters used were standard deviation score of height-for-age and triceps skinfold thickness-for-age ratio. A multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine the correlation between dependent and independent variables.
RESULTS
Acyl ghrelin was significantly lower in cirrhotic patients than in controls [142 (93-278) pg/mL vs 275 (208-481) pg/mL, P=0.001]. After multiple linear regression analysis, total ghrelin and acyl ghrelin showed an inverse correlation with age; acyl ghrelin was associated with the severity of cirrhosis and des-acyl ghrelin with PELD or MELD scores ≥15. Leptin was positively correlated with gender and anthropometric parameters. Insulin was not associated with any variable.
CONCLUSION
Low acyl ghrelin and high des-acyl ghrelin concentrations were associated with cirrhosis severity, whereas low leptin concentration was associated with undernourishment in children and adolescents with cirrhosis.
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