['We investigated the role of adipokines in patients with systemic autoimmune diseases who received glucocorticoid therapy.', 'Fifty-two patients with systemic autoimmune diseases who had started glucocorticoid therapy were prospectively enrolled. One hundred forty healthy persons were also studied as controls. Serum levels of 3 adipokines [resistin, leptin, and high molecular weight (HMW)-adiponectin] were measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits before and at weekly intervals for 4\xa0weeks during glucocorticoid therapy. The effects of lipopolysaccharide and dexamethasone on adipokine expression in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were also examined.', 'The serum resistin level was significantly higher in patients than in controls before glucocorticoid therapy, and it decreased after glucocorticoid therapy. Consistent with these results, dexamethasone inhibited lipopolysaccharide-induced upregulation of resistin expression in PBMCs in vitro. Serum leptin and HMW-adiponectin levels were lower in the patients than in the controls at baseline, and both adipokine levels were increased after glucocorticoid therapy. There was a significant correlation between serum resistin and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. However, there was no association between serum adipokines and intima-media thickness.'] Is resistin associated with the inflammation process in patients with systemic autoimmune diseases undergoing glucocorticoid therapy : comparison with leptin and adiponectin?