Serum levels of adiponectin and ferritin and their clinical significance in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver in Qinghai,China

Objective To investigate the changes in the levels of serum adiponectin( APN) and serum ferritin( SF) in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver( NAFL) and normal populations in Qinghai,China,as well as the significance of APN and SF in the pathogenesis of NAFL. Methods A total of 39 patients diagnosed with NAFL in The Affiliated Hospital of Qinghai University from February to October,2015 were enrolled as NAFL group,and 34 healthy individuals who underwent physical examination were enrolled as control group. The anthropometric parameters and routine clinical biochemical parameters were measured and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and chemiluminescence immunoassay were used to measure the levels of serum APN and SF. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison between two groups,and the Pearson correlation analysis was also performed. Results Compared with the control group,the NAFL group had a significantly higher level of SF( 291. 97 ± 38. 82 ng / ml vs 93. 21 ± 8. 74 ng / ml,t = 31. 085,P < 0. 001) and a significantly lower serum level of APN( 11. 91 ± 2. 88 mg / L vs 16. 18 ± 2. 80 mg / L,t = 6. 383,P < 0. 001). The correlation analysis showed that in the NAFL group,serum APN level was negatively correlated with TG level( r =-0. 466,P < 0. 01). Conclusion The patients with NAFL in Qinghai have a reduced serum APN level and an increased SF level,and in these patients,serum APN level is negatively correlated with TG level. Serum APN monitoring may be used as a reference index to evaluate the treatment outcome of hypertriglyceridemia.