CHROMOSOME-ABNORMALITIES IN PROTEIN-ENERGY MALNUTRITION

The present study attemps to investigate the impact of protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) on chromosomal abnormalities in children. Sixty-sev en children suffering from marasmus, marasmic-kwashiorkor, and kwashio rkor were chosen from the inpatient Pediatric Department of Medical Fa culty of Ataturk University. They were matched by age, sex,and socioec onomic status to twenty-five health children (control). After 72 hours , 100 cultured lymphocyte cells from each subject were analyzed. The f requency of chromosome abnormalities was found to be nearly nine time greater among children with PEM compared to controls (12.59% versus 1. 24% respectively); the difference was statistically highly significant , p<0.001. The abnormalities were mainly gaps, isogaps, chromatid brea ks, chromosome breaks, dicentric chromosomes, acentric chromosomes,and fragments. Ring chromosomes were not observed. We found an inverse co rrelation between gap incidence and both total protein and albumin lev el (r:-0.380 p<0.005, r:-0.391 p<0.005 respectively).