Ghrelin is associated with anti-mullerian hormone levels in Chinese systemic lupus erythematosus

Problem: Ghrelin has been thought of as a potential link between energy homeostasis and fertility. The aim of this study was to evaluate levels of ghrelin in obese and non-obese systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, and to reveal a possible association between ghrelin and Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) in SLE patients. Method of Study: One hundred SLE patients (50 obese and 50 non-obese subjects) at childbearing age and 100 age-matched healthy controls (50 obese and 50 non-obese subjects) were included. Ghrelin and leptin were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. AMH was tested through electrochemiluminescence. Demographics, clinical and laboratory indicators were obtained from medical records. Results: Ghrelin levels were significantly lower in obese SLE patients than non-obese SLE patients (P =.000) and obese controls (P =.002). Non-obese SLE patients and non-obese controls had similar ghrelin levels. Ghrelin levels were correlated positively with AMH (r =.2683, P =.0070) in SLE patients. And ghrelin were negatively associated with leptin (r = -.1969, P =.0496) and BMI (r = -.2401, P =.0161). Conclusion: Our results provide evidence for a potential relationship between ghrelin and AMH in SLE patients, indicating that ghrelin may play a part in energy homeostasis and ovarian damage of SLE patients.