Association of serum leptin levels and pulmonary tuberculosis: a meta-analysis

Background We performed a meta-analysis to investigate the association of serum leptin levels with the pathogenesis of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). Methods The retrieval of related articles was achieved through searching the electronic databases according to strict inclusion criteria. The STATA version 12.0 statistical software was employed to calculate the standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) during the statistical analysis. Results Twelve case-control studies were enrolled in this meta-analysis. Our finding showed that serum leptin levels of healthy controls were markedly higher than those of PTB patients (SMD =0.70, 95% CI =0.51-0.89, P Conclusions In conclusion, our present findings suggest that decreased serum leptin levels may be associated with the pathogenesis of PTB.