Enteric parasites can disturb leptin and adiponectin levels in children

Introduction: Infection by intestinal parasites in childhood may be the main cause of many health-related problems in developed countries such as anemia, anorexia, loss of appetite, retarded growth and development. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of different intestinal parasites on white adipose tissue hormones. Material and methods: Eighty-one children infected by different parasites and 35 apparently healthy children were enrolled in this study. All patients and controls were subjected to clinical examination, measurement of body mass index (BMI) and laboratory examination. Results: For BMI percentiles, there was a significant increase in serum leptin level (p = 0.042) and a significant decrease in serum adiponectin level (p = 0.039) in uninfected children, whereas there were no significant changes in the infected group (p = 0.068 and 0.082 respectively). A significant increase in leptin and decrease in adiponectin levels were observed for E. histolytica, Strongyloides and E. histolytica and Giardia infections compared to the control group (p = 0.047, 0.035 and 0.019 for leptin, and p = 0.025, 0.038 and 0.041 for adiponectin, respectively). Conclusions: The infection by some intestinal parasites may deregulate the secretion of leptin and adiponectin and also affect the absorption of some nutrients which can disturb the BMI and cause anorexia.