Plasma ghrelin levels and malnutrition: a comparison of two etiologies.

Ghrelin is a peptide hormone that is involved in regulating growth hormone secretion as well as food intake and energy homeostasis. The aim of this study was to compare changes in plasma ghrelin levels in patients with malnutrition due to anorexia nervosa (AN) or short bowel syndrome (SBS). Blood samples for laboratory analyses were taken from 16 AN patients (plus 13 comparable healthy controls) and 27 SBS patients (plus 13 comparable healthy controls) after an overnight fast. In comparison with their respective control groups, plasma ghrelin levels were increased in the AN patients (p < 0.05) and significantly decreased in the patients with SBS (p < 0.01). These results suggest that quantitative ghrelin secretion in the gut wall is important in determining ghrelin concentrations in the systemic circulation.