Leptin in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis - A meta-analysis

To compare the serum levels of leptin and soluble leptin receptor (sOB-R) with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) girls and controls through meta-analysis. The MEDLINE via PubMed, Cochrane, Scopus, and EMBASE database, from the earliest available date of indexing between January 2010 and January 2019, were searched for comparative studies evaluating serum levels of leptin and sOB-R in AIS girls. Two authors performed the data extraction independently. Any discrepancies were resolved by a consensus. Six comparative studies were identified. There was no statistically significant difference in terms of leptin between AIS girls and control [p = 0.19, WMD = -2.06 (-5.14, 1.03) ng/mL]. However, the sOB-R level was significantly higher [p < 0.00001, WMD = 2.85 (1.81, 3.88) ng/mL] and the free leptin index was significantly lower [p = 0.0006, WMD = -0.12 (-0.19, -0.05)] in AIS girls than those of healthy control girls. The body mass index was significantly lower in AIS girls [p = 0.03, WMD = -1.53 (-2.95, -0.12) kg/m²]. The current meta-analysis showed that the level of sOB-R is higher in AIS patients than controls, while the concentration of leptin remains unchanged in AIS patients. Further well-designed studies would be necessary to substantiate our results.