Assay of Leptin and Adiponectin Levels in Adult Obese Patients in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Background: Low-grade inflammation, characterized by increase of pro-inflammatory cytokines and decrease of anti-inflammatory cytokines, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of obesity and its associated complications. The study determined the levels of Adipokines (Leptin and Adiponectin) in obese and non-obese subjects with or without hypertension in a Nigerian population, in comparison with healthy (control) subjects. Method: This cross-sectional study involved 60 physician diagnosed obese subjects attending the Endocrine and cardiology Clinics of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, and 60 sex matched non-obese subjects recruited from the blood donor centre. Obese subjects were divided into two groups: subjects with (30) and without (30) hypertension based on Physician assessment. Controls were also divided into two groups: controls with (30) and without (30) hypertension based on Physician assessment. Serum levels of leptin and adiponectin were evaluated using commercial Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. Result: The results showed that the mean serum level of leptin was significantly (P