Serum leptin concentration in women of reproductive age with euthyroid autoimmune thyroiditis

Abstract

Introduction: Autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) with elevated anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody (aTPO) levels appears in 12–25% of all women, apart from thyroid dysfunction. High titers of aTPO are more common in women with polycystic ovary syndrome and endometriosis. Elevated aTPO has been associated with infertility and poorer quality of life among euthyroid women, and may be related to other factors.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to measure differences in serum leptin concentration between AITD+ and AITD− patients.

Setting, patients and main outcome measures: The sample was comprised of 74 women who were hospitalized in the Department of Gynecological Endocrinology, Medical University of Warsaw. Data collected included age, body mass index (BMI), and serum aTPO, serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), serum fT4, serum follitropin (FSH), serum estradiol and serum leptin. AITD positive status was defined as serum aTPO greater than 5.6 mIU/ml.

Results: Serum leptin concentrations were significantly higher in AITD+ patients compared to AITD− patients (17.13 ng/ml [SD 7.66] versus 12.78 ng/ml [SD 7.28]; p < 0.05). No differences by AITD status were found in age, BMI, TSH, FSH, estradiol and fT4.

Conclusions: Serum leptin concentrations were higher in patients with AITD than in patients without AITD.

Chinese abstract

引言：在患有自身免疫性甲状腺炎（AITD）的女性中，除了甲状腺功能异常外，甲状腺过氧化物酶抗体（aTPO）水平升高者占12-25%。高滴度的aTPO在多囊卵巢综合征和子宫内膜异位症患者中更为常见。在甲状腺功能正常的女性中，aTPO升高常与不孕和低生活质量相关，也可能与其它因素有关。

目的：本研究的目的是检测AITD+和AITD－患者中血清瘦素浓度的差异。

患者入选标准和主要测量指标：74名在华沙医科大学妇科内分泌科就诊的患者参与本研究。收集的数据包括年龄、体重指数（BMI），血清aTPO，血清甲状腺刺激激素（TSH），血清fT4，血清卵泡刺激素（FSH），血清雌二醇和血清瘦素。定义AITD阳性为血清aTPO超过5.6 mIU/ml。

结果：AITD+组患者血清瘦素浓度显著高于AITD－组患者（17.13 ng/ml [SD 7.66] vs 12.78 ng/ml [SD 7.28] ; p＜0.05）。两组年龄、BMI、TSH、FSH、雌二醇和fT4无统计学差异。

结论：有AITD患者的血清瘦素浓度高于无AITD患者。

• Body mass index
• leptin
• thyroid

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Professor Elizabeth Helzner, Editor from “Science Docs”, for review and editorial changes and Michal Kunicki, PhD, for his substantive support in article editing.

Declaration of interest

None of the authors has potential conflicts of interest to disclose. Limitations of the study are patients have not measured other anthropometric variables like: waist–hip ratio and level of fat tissue (by bioimendance method).