Goals: This study was undertaken to investigate the
relationship between serum leptin levels and the development
irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Background: Stress has been known as an important
causative factor in IBS. Various studies have indicated the
relationship between serum leptin levels and stress levels. So
searching the relationship between the production and level of
this hormone and development of IBS may help to understand the
pathophysiology of the disease.
Study: This was a case-control study. Eighty IBS
patient and 80 controls were recruited. All participants were
asked to fill in a questionnaire included demographic
information and medical history and also a stress
questionnaire. Serum leptin level was measured by
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Chi-square, Student
t test, Pearson correlation and logistic regression were used
for investigating the relationships between variables.
Results: Mean serum leptin levels were 7.41 and 19.33
ng/mL in IBS and control groups, respectively
(P<0.001). Participants in IBS group had significantly
higher stress levels than controls (P<0.001).
Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that adjusted
odds ratios (ORs) for serum leptin level (OR: 0.9; 95%
confidence interval: 0.85-0.94) and stress level (OR: 1.15;
95% confidence interval: 1.09-1.23) were nearly the same as
crude ones.
Conclusions: This study indicated the relationship
between leptin and IBS for the first time. Our results show
that serum leptin level is significantly lower in IBS group
than controls and this relationship is independent of other
variables such as stress levels, body mass index, etc. This
may help in better understanding of the pathogenesis of IBS
and consequently lead to the development of more effective
treatments.
(C) 2009 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins,
Inc.