Leptin, leptin soluble receptor and coronary atherosclerosis

Background The adipose tissue‐related hormone leptin plays an important role in the regulation of body weight. The associations of leptin and leptin soluble receptor (sOb‐R) with coronary artery disease (CAD) are not clear. Design We measured leptin and sOb‐R in 543 consecutive patients (379 men, 164 women) referred for coronary angiography for the evaluation of CAD. Coronary artery stenoses with lumen narrowing ≥ 50% were considered significant. Results Serum leptin correlated significantly with body mass index (rs = 0·443), with insulin resistance as assessed by the homeostasis model for the assessment of insulin resistance (rs = 0·339), with serum triglycerides (rs = 0·181), with systolic as well as diastolic blood pressure (rs = 0·170 and rs = 0·133, respectively) and, inversely, with sOb‐R (rs = –0·346; P