Plasma Adiponectin and Its Correlation with Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Obesity and in Type 2 Diabetes and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Maha Hussein; Aasem Saif; Mona Amin; Osama Khalafallah; Ahmed Hussien; Samar Aboulsoud; Shrook Mousa

doi:10.1155/2023/6661585

Plasma Adiponectin and Its Correlation with Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Obesity and in Type 2 Diabetes and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

J Nutr Metab. 2023 Aug 31:2023:6661585. doi: 10.1155/2023/6661585. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Maha Hussein¹, Aasem Saif¹, Mona Amin¹, Osama Khalafallah², Ahmed Hussien¹, Samar Aboulsoud¹, Shrook Mousa¹

Affiliations

¹ Internal Medicine Department, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.
² Clinical and Chemical Pathology Department, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.

Abstract

Methods and results: The study included 200 Egyptian subjects. They were divided into four equal groups: group 1: obese patients with NAFLD and T2DM (O+/NAFLD+/DM+), group 2: nonobese patients with NAFLD and T2DM (O-/NAFLD+/DM+), group 3: obese nondiabetic patients with NAFLD (O+/NAFLD+/DM-), and group 4: nonobese healthy control subjects. Plasma adiponectin was measured using ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) technique. Ultrasonography was used to diagnose NAFLD. CIMT was assessed using Doppler ultrasonography. Plasma adiponectin was significantly lower and CIMT was significantly higher in O+/NAFLD+/DM+, as compared with O-/NAFLD+/DM+, O+/NAFLD+/DM-, and control subjects (p < 0.001 for all). A significant negative correlation was found between adiponectin and CIMT in obese patients with NAFLD (p < 0.05), but not in patients with NAFLD and T2DM. The significant independent predictors of CIMT were diabetes duration, BMI (body mass index), albumin/creatinine ratio, and cholesterol.

Conclusion: Plasma adiponectin is inversely correlated with CIMT in obese patients with NAFLD, but not in patients with NAFLD and T2DM. Hypoadiponectinemia could be a good indicator of cardiovascular risk in obese patients with NAFLD, with or without T2DM, but not in nonobese patients with NAFLD.