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Endocrine Abstracts (2013) 32 P962 | DOI: 10.1530/endoabs.32.P962

1Department of Endocrinology, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey; 2Department of Physiology, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey; 3Department of Radiology, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey.


Introduction: Acromegaly is a rare disease that is most often caused by a GH secreting pituitary tumor. Apelin, a newly discovered peptide known as an endogenous ligand for its receptor (APJ) is a cardiac positive inotropic factor that has also hypotensive effects. The apelin and its receptor functions have not entirely been understood yet. The physiological importance of apelin, in acromegaly remains obscure.

The aim of this study was to investigate the differences of apelin levels in active and inactive acromegalic patients.

Methods: In this study 37 acromegalic patients (20 inactive and 17 active acromegaly) and 30 controls were included to the study. Patients with GH≤1 ng/l and IGF1 were in normal levels according to ages and sex were classified as inactive; and patients with GH>1 ng/l and higher IGF1 levels were classified as active acromegaly. Serum apelin level were measured by ELISA method.

Results: Although slight decrease were observed inactive and active acromegalic patients, we couldn’t find any statistically significant differences in apelin levels in inactive and active acromegalic patients, but we observed more than 11-fold higher apelin levels in active acromegalic patients compared to controls and results were statistically significant.

Conclusion: We found high levels of apelin in active acromegalic patients. Apelin levels can not to be used the marker of active acromegaly.

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