Plasma Leptin Is Increased in Intensive Care Patients with COVID-19-An Investigation Performed in the PronMed-Cohort.
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Larsson A, Lipcsey M, Hultström M, Frithiof R, Eriksson M
Biomedicines 10 (1) -
[2021-12-21; online 2021-12-21]
COVID-19 has shaken the world and intensive care units (ICU) have been challenged by numerous patients suffering from a previously unknown disease. Leptin is a polypeptide pleiotropic hormone, mainly expressed by adipocytes. It acts as a proinflammatory cytokine and is associated with several conditions, known to increase the risk of severe COVID-19. Very little is known about leptin in severe viral disorders. Plasma leptin was analyzed in 222 out of 229 patients with severe COVID-19 on admission to an ICU at Uppsala University Hospital, a tertiary care hospital in Sweden, and compared to plasma leptin in 25 healthy blood donors. COVID-19 was confirmed by positive PCR. Leptin levels were significantly higher in patients with COVID-19 (18.3 ng × mL-1; IQR = 30.4), than in healthy controls (7.8 ng × mL-1; IQR = 6.4). Women had significantly higher leptin values (22.9 ng × mL-1; IQR = 29.8) than men (17.5 ng × mL-1; IQR = 29.9). Mortality at 30 days was 23% but was not associated with increased leptin levels. Neither median duration of COVID-19 before admission to ICU (10 days; IQR = 4) or median length of ICU stay (8 days; IQR = 11) correlated with the plasma leptin levels. Leptin levels in COVID-19 were higher in females than in males. Both treatment (e.g., use of corticosteroids) and prophylaxis (vaccines) have been improved since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which may contribute to some difficulties in deciphering relations between COVID-19 and leptin.
Funder: KAW/SciLifeLab National COVID program
Research Area: Biobanks for COVID-19 research
PubMed 35052684
DOI 10.3390/biomedicines10010004
Crossref 10.3390/biomedicines10010004
pii: biomedicines10010004