Endocrine Abstracts

Study objective: To study the differences of ghrelin basal levels (BG) among people with abdominal obesity.

Materials and methods: One hundred and twenty-two patients aged 35–55 with obesity and 28 practically healthy persons (control group) were examined. The groups were identical in the sex and age, obesity. The BG levels in serum were measured by the immune-enzyme method with «DRG International» reagents.

Results: Average basal ghrelin levels (BG) were found to be authentically lower in the group of patients with obesity than in the control group (51.32±4.56 vs 88.76±6.46 ng/ml), P<0.001. Within the increase of obesity rate, the ghrelin levels in serum decreased from 57.34±4.79 ng/ml – in patients with the 1st obesity class, 49.46±7.1 ng/ml – in patients with the 2nd obesity class and up to 44.52±6.78 ng/ml – in patients with the 3rd obesity class; and its differed between the indicators in patients with 1st and 2nd classes versus the patients with 3rd class, P<0.05. The correlation analysis demonstrated the negative proved association of ghrelin levels with the indicators reflecting abdominal distribution of adipose tissue – waist circumference and waist circumference/hips circumference index (r=−0.46; P<0.001 and r=−0.35; P<0.001 correspondingly).

Conclusion: The ghrelin levels were found to be lower in patients with obesity than in patient with normal weight (51.32±4.56 vs 88.76±6.46 ng/ml, P<0.01). Within the increase of obesity rate the ghrelin levels decrease (from 57.34±4.79 up to 44.52±6.78 ng/ml, P<0.05), that was confirmed by its correlations with the indicators OT (r=−0.46; P<0.001) and OT/OB (r=−0.35; P<0.001), and that allow consider hypogrelinemia to be a component that take part in abdominal obesity forming.