The Association of Serum Osteopontin Levels with Insulin Resistance in Obese, Dyslipidemic Children

Objectives: To assess serum osteopontin (OPN) concentrations and to evaluate the correlation between OPN levels and insulin resistance (IR) in obese dyslipidemic children. Methods: The study featured 107 obese children with ages ranging between 3 - 17 years. Anthropometrical measurements and biochemical analyses were performed and serum OPN samples were obtained. IR was defined using the homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) protocol. Results: Of the 107 obese children that were recruited for the study, 63 were girls (58.9%) and 44 were boys (58.9%), with a mean age of 11.18 +/- 3.41 years. Of them, 21 (19.6%) were diagnosed with dyslipidemia. No significant differences in age and gender were identified between the dyslipidemic and non-dyslipidemic groups. The mean body mass index (BMI), fasting blood glucose, insulin, and alanine transaminase levels were similar in both groups (P = 0.74). The average total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), and triglyceride (TG) levels were higher, while the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and cholesterol levels were lower in the dyslipidemic group. Amongst the children with dyslipidemia, 28 (84.84%) had IR. The mean OPN levels in the dyslipidemic group were not found to be higher than the non-dyslipidemic group (46.94 +/- 25.64 vs 48.92 +/- 24.45; P = 0.70). Multivariate regression analysis confirmed that increased HOMA-IR levels (P = 0.01) are an important risk factor for dyslipidemia. Conclusions: While serum OPN levels were found to be related to IR in obese children, OPN levels were not associated with dyslipidemia.