Determining the alteration of ghrelin and some biochemical parameters in end-stage kidney disease patients on hemodialysis

Introduction: Renal failure is a pathological condition characterized by impaired renal excretion of end-products of metabolism. Objectives: The present study aimed to assess ghrelin hormone and certain biochemical parameters such as urea, creatinine, uric acid, albumin, total protein, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-c), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-c) and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) in the serum of hemodialysis patients compared with healthy subjects. Patients and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of sixty end-stage kidney disease patients on hemodialysis were enrolled from Ibn Sina dialysis center in Baquba teaching hospital, Iraq (May 2022 to October 2022). Moreover, thirty healthy volunteers served as control subjects in this study. Results: The results indicated a significant decrease in serum ghrelin levels of hemodialysis patients compared to the controls (P<0.05). Notably, patients exhibited elevated levels of serum urea, uric acid and creatinine in comparison to the controls (P<0.05). Moreover, serum albumin level was found to be decreased in patients as compared to controls too (P<0.05). However, the levels of total protein did not exhibit any significant differences between the groups (P>0.05). A significant negative association between serum ghrelin and urea was detected (P<0.05). Conclusion: The level of ghrelin was found to be significantly reduced in patients with renal failure. Therefore, the decreased levels of ghrelin may serve as a potential predictor of kidney insufficiency in patients with chronic kidney disease.