Altered Serum Chitotriosidase Activity and Irisin Level in Obese Children

Objective:In this study, we aimed to investigate serum chitotriosidase (ChT) activity and irisin levels in children with obesity and compare them to those of healthy counterparts. Material and Methods: A total of 91 obese and 83 normal-weight children were included in the study. Serum ChT activity and irisin levels of children with obesity were compared to those of normal-weight children. Results: The mean ChT value in the obese group was 1825.332 ± 4804.147 nmol/L/h and was significantly higher than that in the control group. In contrast, the mean irisin level, 2679.663 ± 5473.58 pg/ml, was lower than that in the control group. The cutoff point of the continuous variable selected in the model for ChT was 601, with 31.9% sensitivity, 90.6% specificity, and an area under the curve of 0.596. The cutoff point for irisin was 901.4, with 83.5% sensitivity, 42.4% specificity, and an area under the curve of 0.617. Conclusion: This study is the first to show decreased serum both serum ChT activity and irisin level and ChT’s association with irisin levels in children with obesity . We argue that ChT and irisin should be considered potential biomarkers of metabolic syndrome in children with obesity.