Plasma immunoreactive leptin concentration in end-stage renal disease.

1. Leptin is thought to be an inhibitor of appetite. As the kidney helps clear several polypeptide hormones, plasma leptin may accumulate in end-stage renal disease. 2. Plasma immunoreactive leptin was measured in four groups of subjects: haemodialysis, continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis and renal transplant patients and a group of healthy controls. Leptin was also measured before and after a single dialysis session. 3. There was a strong correlation between plasma immunoreactive leptin and body mass index in all groups except female haemodialysis patients. Leptin was higher in females than in males in all groups when controlled for body mass index. Mean plasma leptin [mean (SD)] was significantly higher in all renal groups [haemodialysis, 15.1 (3.6) ng/ml; continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis, 25.4 (4.3) ng/ml; transplants, 11.6 (2.6) ng/ml] compared with controls [5.3 (2.3) ng/ml]. There was a significant difference in the regression equations relating leptin and body mass index (dialysis > transplants > controls), even when controlled for gender. Leptin correlated modestly with serum creatinine in non-dialysis subjects. Plasma leptin immunoreactivity was slightly reduced by haemodialysis, but post-dialysis leptin was still significantly higher than that found in controls. 4. Chromatographic characterization of the high level of leptin immunoreactivity found in haemodialysis subjects showed a single elution peak corresponding to that of the highly purified human leptin standard. 5. In conclusion, leptin is higher than expected for body mass index in end-stage renal disease. Hyperleptinaemia could contribute to the anorexia and poor nutritional status commonly seen in renal failure.