Changes in adiponectin and leptin concentrations during glucocorticoid treatment: a pilot study in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica.

This study is concerned with an evaluation of the effects of glucocorticoids (GC) on adiponectin and leptin concentrations in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR). Seven patients diagnosed with PMR were studied at baseline and after one and three months of prednisone treatment. Serum leptin and adiponectin, serum glucose and insulin, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, and IL-6 were all measured by commercial assays. The treatment with GC normalized inflammation markers and significantly increased adiponectin and leptin concentrations without any impairment of insulin sensitivity measured by HOMA-IR. Adiponectin significantly increased only between baseline and 1 month (P= 0.013). A significant correlation was found between adiponectin and leptin concentrations both at baseline and after 3 months of treatment (both rho = 0.89, P= 0.03). In addition, adiponectin correlated also with serum glucose at baseline (rho = 0.81, P= 0.047). According to our results, adiponectin concentrations seem to be driven by inflammation, whereas leptin seems to be increased directly by the use of steroids.