Serum leptin level as a diagnostic and prognostic marker in infectious diseases and sepsis: A comprehensive literature review.

Abstract Background: Infections and sepsis are common causes of morbidity and mortality, with an increasing incidence worldwide. Leptin is involved in the inflammatory process and may modulate the cytokine production, immune cell proliferation and endothelial function. There are conflicting results regarding alterations of leptin levels in infectious diseases and the outcome from sepsis. The aim of the current article is to provide an overview of the medical literature on the correlations between variations of leptin levels and infectious diseases and sepsis. Methods: We performed an extensive literature search in PubMed and Google Scholar databases, using keywords to identify articles rela…