Abstract
Background
Atherosclerotic vascular diseases are the major cause of mortality in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) treated with chronic peritoneal dialysis (CPD), even in children. Adiponectin (ADPN) is a recently discovered adipocyte-derived plasma protein having anti-atherogenic properties. ADPN levels are elevated in ESRD but it has been reported that ESRD patients with low plasma ADPN levels have a high risk of cardiovascular death.
Objective
To clarify the atherosclerotic risk and especially the significance of ADPN levels in pediatric patients on CPD.
Design
Cross-sectional study in the pediatric peritoneal dialysis unit of a university hospital.
Patients
18 children, aged 12.6 ± 5.6 years, being treated with CPD and 20 healthy age- and sex-matched control subjects were enrolled in this study.
Methods
Serum ADPN levels and other risk factors, including blood pressure, blood glucose, serum lipid/lipoprotein fractions, apolipoprotein B, C-reactive protein (CRP), lipoprotein(a), and homocysteine levels, were studied in CPD patients and compared to the controls.
Results
Serum ADPN levels were three times higher in the CPD group compared to the control subjects, as was previously reported. Apolipoprotein B and CRP levels were also high in the CPD group. No significant difference was found in other atherosclerotic parameters, including lipoprotein(a) and homocysteine levels. Interestingly, we found a negative correlation between log ADPN and creatinine levels among the CPD patients (r = –0.54, p < 0.05). There was no correlation between log ADPN and duration of CPD. Creatinine and low-density lipoprotein levels could account for 54% of the total variation in ADPN levels.
Conclusion
Among pediatric CPD patients, serum levels of the anti-atherogenic protein, ADPN, were inversely associated with creatinine. ADPN level might be a novel marker to predict prognosis in pediatric CPD patients.
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