Value of serum Adiponectin level in Egyptian patients with chronic hepatitis B infection

Abstract

Background:Chronic hepatitis B infection is considered a serious public health problem worldwide and in Egypt in the past few years. The role of adiponectin in chronic HBV infection is somewhat controversial. Previously, a few clinical reports tried to study the association between adiponectin and viral factors or liver injuries, but were limited to small sample sizes or hospital-based designs. The main aim of this study was to determine the value of serum Adiponectin level in Egyptian patients with chronic hepatitis B infection and to correlate these levels with the metabolic profile in these patients. Methods:The current study was conducted upon 60 subjects recruited from Ain Shams University hospital in the period from August 2015 to April 2016. Subjects were subdivided into a case group including 30 patients with chronic hepatitis B and a control group including 30 healthy subjects. Results: Higher mean values of adiponectin among cases of HBV infection than among the controls (19.4 ± 12.54 vs 4.23 ± 1.83, p<0.01), where there was a significant positive correlation between adiponectin level and HBV DNA (p<0.01).Among the case group, the mean value of adiponectin showed insignificant differences regarding either the gender of patients or HBeAg status (p= 0.957; p = 0.689, respectively). Yet, there was a significant negative correlation between serum adiponectin level and HOMA-IR (r = - 0.72, p< 0.01). On applying a multivariate analysis, it was shown that BMI and adiponectin were the most important independent factors influencing HOMA-IR in patients with CHB infection (p < 0.05, p < 0.01; respectively). Conclusion:Chronic HBV infection seems to be associated with increased serum adiponectin levels and not with insulin resistance. Keywords:Chronic hepatitis B, adiponectin, insulin resistance.