Serum resistin, metabolic pathology and diseases in children and adolescents

Resistin is a recently described adipokine which is expressed in low levels in human adipose tissue, pulmonary tissue and resting endothelial cells, and in high levels in mononuclear leukocytes, macrophages, and spleen and bone marrow cells. Serum levels of resistin have been found to be elevated in obese subjects and in subjects with insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus (DM). There is evidence that resistin is related to a variety of diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematous, sepsis, asthma and allergic rhinitis. A possible role of resistin has been documented in pathological metabolic conditions observed in children and adolescents, but the data are conflicting. This review summarizes the currently available data concerning the role of resistin in metabolic abnormalities and diseases in children and adolescents.