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Serum leptin levels are associated with the presence of syndesmophytes in male patients with ankylosing spondylitis

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Abstract

The aim of this study is to clarify the association between serum leptin levels and the presence of syndesmophytes in male patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Seventy-two male patients with AS and 20 age-matched healthy male controls were included. Patients were stratified by the presence of syndesmophytes. Serum leptin levels were measured and adjusted for body mass index (BMI). In addition, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BALP), osteocalcin, and telopeptide of type I collagen were determined. Patients with syndesmophytes were associated with older age (p < 0.001), longer disease duration (p = 0.003), and higher BMI (p = 0.038). Serum leptin levels and leptin per BMI (leptin/BMI) ratio were not different between AS patients and healthy controls. However, serum leptin/BMI ratio was significantly higher in patients with syndesmophytes compared to those without (p = 0.010). In multivariate analysis, higher serum leptin/BMI ratio remained significantly associated with the presence of syndesmophytes (p = 0.029). Moreover, serum leptin/BMI ratio was positively correlated with serum BALP (γ = 0.279, p = 0.039). However, there was no significant association between serum leptin/BMI ratio and bone mineral density. Serum leptin levels are elevated in male AS patients with syndesmophytes and were found to be correlated with bone formation marker, suggesting a potential role of leptin in new bone formation in AS.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the Korea Healthcare technology R&D Project, the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs (no. A092258), and the National Research Foundation (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (R33-2008-000-10064-0 and 2009-0080087).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Ki-Jo Kim, Ji-Young Kim, Su-Jung Park, Hosung Yoon, Chong-Hyeon Yoon, Wan-Uk Kim & Chul-Soo Cho

  2. Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yeouido St. Mary’s Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, 62 Yeouido-dong, Yeongdeungpo-ku, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Chul-Soo Cho

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  1. Ki-Jo Kim
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Kim, KJ., Kim, JY., Park, SJ. et al. Serum leptin levels are associated with the presence of syndesmophytes in male patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Clin Rheumatol 31, 1231–1238 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-012-1999-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-012-1999-z

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