Ghrelin levels in young children with Prader-Willi syndrome

Objective To explore the hypothesis that high ghrelin levels contribute to obesity in Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), we assessed whether the increased levels observed in older persons with PWS exist in very young children, before the onset of hyperphagia. Study design We measured ghrelin levels in nine children with PWS (17-60 months of age) and eight healthy control subjects of equivalent body mass index (BMI), age, and sex. Results PWS and control groups had equivalent BMI (16.8 \ub1 1.4 vs 16.1 \ub1 0.9 kg/m2, respectively; P =3D .24), age (37.8 \ub1 15.4 vs 50.3 \ub1 17.7 months; P =3D .14), and sex. PWS and control groups also had equivalent fasting levels of total ghrelin (787 \ub1 242 vs 716 \ub1 135 pg/mL, respectively; P =3D .24), bioactive ghrelin (102 \ub1 35 vs 91 \ub1 23 pg/mL; P =3D .45), insulin, and glucose. Ghrelin correlated negatively with BMI among controls (r =3D -0.760, P =3D .029) but not PWS (r =3D 0.015, P =3D .97). Conclusions Children