Objectives: We aimed to investigate plasma omentin concentrations in non-obese, drug-free patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in comparison with healthy volunteers.
Methods: Sixty children with ASD, 60 children with ADHD, and 60 control subjects were recruited. Plasma omentin levels were determined by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Results: Plasma levels of omentin (479.0 ng/ml) were found to be significantly higher in patients with ASD (median = 422.6, min/max; 220–800) than in controls (382.5 ng/ml) (median = 322.0, min/max 184–800). No significant difference was found between ADHD and control groups with respect to plasma omentin levels. There was no significant correlation between omentin levels and age of children, ABCL, AbBC, CARS, CPRS, and CTRS scores.
Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study that demonstrated the association between omentin and ASD and ADHD. The present results suggest that plasma omentin levels are increased in non-obese and drug-free patients with ASD when compared with in ADHD and healthy children. The omentin levels in ADHD and ASD need further refinement with larger samples and long-term follow-up periods.