SERUM LEPTIN CONCENTRATIONS IN PATIENTS ON HEMODIALYSIS

Serum leptin concentrations in normal humans have been reported to cor relate with the body mass index (BMI) as well as with the body fat mas s. In this study, we measured serum leptin concentrations in 107 patie nts on hemodialysis, 30 of whom had diabetes mellitus as the cause, an d examined the clinical significance. Furthermore, we evaluated the ef fects of high-flux dialysis membranes on serum leptin levels. Serum le ptin concentrations had a linear correlation with BMI as well as with the percentage of body fat in patients on hemodialysis. The serum lept in concentrations showed a positive correlation with the serum concent rations of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride, the body weight, the BMI, and the percentage of body fa t. The serum leptin levels were not different between the diabetic and the nondiabetic groups. The serum leptin levels in the nondiabetic gr oup were nearly fourfold higher in wc,men than in men. We investigated the differences in the rate of reduction in serum leptin after dialys is with polysulfone membrane dialyzers (PS-N and PS-UW) in comparison with a cellulose membrane dialyzer (AM-SD), and as a result, we found that the polysulfone membrane dialyzers removed serum leptin, while th e cellulose membrane dialyzer did not. We conclude that in patients on hemodialysis, the serum leptin concentration is a valuable clinical m arker of the body fat content and may also contribute to the evaluatio n of hyperlipidemia.