Serum leptin Levels and Their Correlation with Thyroid Hormones in Women with Hyperemesis Gravidarum

Abstract

ABSTRACT:BACKGROUND:Leptin is a protein that regulates energy expenditure and food intake. It is found that maternal leptinlevel increases progressively during gestation. However, in other hypothesis, rapid increase inmaternal leptin concentration disproportional to gestational week is a marker for hyperemesisgravidarum.OBJECTIVE:To assess the maternal serum leptin , the adjusted leptin levels in first trimester women withhyperemesis gravidarum and with normal pregnancy and to find the correlation between leptin leveland thyroid hormones in the two groups.PATIENTS AND METHODS:A case-control study conducted in AL- Yarmouk teaching hospital /department of obstetrics andgynaecology for one year from March 2009 to March 2010.A hundred pregnant women were enrolled in this study. Fifty women with hyperemesis gravidarumand fifty women without hyperemesis gravidarum as a control group were included in the study.Thetwo groups were compared for age, parity, body mass index. Fasting serum thyroid stimulatinghormone ,free thyronine hormone, free thyroxine hormone and leptin levels were measured . Theadjusted leptin level (ALL ) : maternal serum leptin level / gestational week , was calculated in eachcase.RESULTS:Body mass index was found significantly lower in the hyperemesis gravidarum group than in thecontrol group(p = 0.018) .The mean leptin level in the hyperemsis gravidarum group was14.78+4.46ng /ml which was significantly higher (p = 0.035) than the mean leptin level in the control groupwhich was12.51+4.08 ng/ml.The mean adjusted leptin level in the hyperemsis gravidarum group was1.86+0.23 which was significantly higher (p<0.001) than the mean adjusted leptin level in the controlgroup which was1.38+0.20 . Serum thyroid stimulating hormone was significantly lower (p = 0.001)and free thyronine hormone , free thyroxin hormone levels were significantly higher (p <0.001,<0.001 respectively) in the hyperemesis gravidarum group than in the control group.CONCLUSION:Maternal serum leptin level was significantly higher in the HG group. ALL was also significantlyhigher in the HG group and there was no significant correlation between leptin level and thyroidhormones.