ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the changes of serum leptin (LEP) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in children with congenital heart disease(CHD) and their roles in CHD.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty-eight children with acyanotic CHD (ACHD group), 20 age-matched children with cyanotic CHD (CCHD group) and 20 healthy children (control group) were enrolled. The ACHD group was subdivided into two groups with (n=20) or without concurrent heart failure (n=28). Serum LEP, VEGF, total protein and albumin levels and body mass index (BMI) were measured.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Serum total protein and albumin levels were not apparently different in all CHD children from healthy controls, but there was a significant difference in the BMI between them (p<0.01). Serum LEP and VEGF levels and the ratio of LEP/BMI in all CHD children were significantly higher than those in healthy controls (p<0.01). Compared with the ACHD group without heart failure, the serum LEP and VEGF levels and the ratio of LEP/BMI in the CCHD and the ACHD with heart failure groups increased significantly (p<0.01). In the ACHD group, serum LEP level was positively correlated with BMI (p<0.01). In the CCHD group, there were positive correlations between serum LEP level and serum VEGF level (p<0.01) and between hemoglobin concentration and serum VEGF level (p<0.01). Arterial oxygen saturation was negatively correlated with serum VEGF (p<0.01) and LEP levels (p<0.01) in the CCHD group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Both VEGF and LEP play roles in the pathophisiological process of CHD. VEGF and LEP are associated with the development of heart failure in children with ACHD.</p>
