Anorexia nervosa (AN) is associated with significant
weight loss; thus, it is crucial to discern the contribution of
hormones produced by adipose tissue. Some of the
adipokines have not been sufficiently studied. Therefore, the present study aims to measure serum concentrations of omentin and
visfatin, in adolescent inpatients with AN. The correlations between selected
adipokines and psychopathological symptoms of AN were also analyzed. Thirty adolescent inpatients with
anorexia nervosa and thirty healthy age and height matched girls (CONT) were enrolled in the study. The physical and mental examination, anthropometric and psychometric assessment - Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26) and Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (YBOCS), and blood analysis were performed at two-time points - in the malnourished patients (AN T1) and after partial weight recovery (8.30 ± 3.75 weeks) (AN T2). The omentin concentration was not significantly different from the CONT neither in AN T1 nor AN T2. The
visfatin level was altered in AN T1 and did not change after partial weight normalization (AN T2). A positive correlation between
visfatin and YBOCS was found in AN T2.
Visfatin concentrations were decreased in adolescent inpatients suffering from AN in the acute phase of the disease and did not normalize after partial weight restoration. The studies considering
visfatin as a
biomarker of the acute phase of AN should be continued. Moreover, the
visfatin showed association with the obsessive and compulsive symptoms; thus its participation in non-homeostatic regulation of food intake should be investigated in further studies.