Serum adiponectin level and cardiovascular disease in patients with end-stage renal disease

Lee, Hui Young; Her, Ae Young; Choi, Dong Wook; Park, Myoung Ok; Baek, Hyun Jeong; Jung, Hae Hyuk

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Adiponectin is a fat-based protein that alters the insulin sensitivity, has anti-inflammatory properties, and reduces the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, this connection is unclear in patients with chronic wasting disease, such as heart failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Therefore, this study examined the relationship between adiponectin and the cardiovascular risk/predictive factors in ESRD patients.
METHODS
The serum concentrations of adiponectin and leptin were measured in 48 adult patients on maintenance hemodialysis. In addition, the blood levels of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and cardiac troponin T (cTnT) as cardiovascular biomarkers were measured, and the CVD history was reviewed in order to determine if there was any correlation with adiponectin.
RESULTS
There was a significant correlation between the adiponectin levels and the serum concentrations of HDL-cholesterol (r=0.456, p=0.001), triglyceride (r=-0.528, p<0.001), and leptin (r=-0.427, p=0.002) and an inverse correlation with the body mass index (BMI) (r=-0.326, p=0.024). The BNP levels were positively correlated with the adiponectin concentrations (r=0.372, p=0.009) and negatively correlated with the BMI (r=-0.310, p=0.032), and there was a slight positive correlation between cTnT and adiponectin (r=0.276, p=0.058). Patients with a history of CVD had higher levels of cTnT (p=0.012) and BNP (p=0.017), and a lower BMI (p=0.026) than patients without such a history. There was no significant difference in the adiponectin levels between the two patient groups.
CONCLUSIONS
A higher adiponectin level is related to a favorable lipid profile. However, adiponectin is not directly associated with a history of CVD, and there was a correlation between a higher adiponectin level and a higher BNP and lower BMI, which are cardiovascular predictive factors, in ESRD patients. However, further research with more patients will be needed to properly determine the complicated relationship between adiponectin and the development of CVD.