Abstract
CONTEXT: Graves' disease is the most prevalent cause of hyperthyroidism worldwide. Adiponectin, the most abundant adipokine, plays a significant role in a cluster of prevalent diseases connected to metabolic disorders. OBJECTIVE: Although the association between adiponectin and Graves' disease has been studied, the existing data is inconsistent. Therefore, we conducted this systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the relationship between adiponectin levels and Graves' disease. METHODS: We performed a systematic electronic search on PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus and Cochrane Library using predefined keywords. We used the NHLBI quality assessment tools to assess the included studies. RESULTS: There were 11 studies involving 781 subjects included in our qualitative synthesis, while 6 studies were included in our quantitative synthesis. We observed significantly increased adiponectin levels in Graves' disease patients compared to controls (MD 2.983 [95% CI 0.138-5.828]) and hypothyroidism patients (MD 3.389 [95% CI 1.332-5.446]). Nevertheless, no significant MD was observed when comparing Graves' disease patients with and without Graves' ophthalmopathy (MD -27.124 [95% CI -88.893 - 34.645]). CONCLUSIONS: Adiponectin levels were significantly higher in patients with Graves' disease compared to controls and hypothyroidism patients. However, patients with and without Graves' ophthalmopathy did not present a significant mean difference in adiponectin levels.