CORRELATION OF SOME BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS WITH CLINICAL-FEATURES OF PROTEIN-ENERGY MALNUTRITION

The authors report on a study correlating the laboratory findings of c hildren with protein energy malnutrition (PEM) with their clinical pre sentations. Forty-nine cases of marasmus, 17 of kwashiorkor and 28 of marasmic-kwashiorkor, as well as 20 controls, were studied and monitor ed in hospital. Fasting plasma samples obtained on days 2, 14 and 21 w ere analyzed for total proteins, albumin, triglycerides and cholestero l. Blood glucose and haemoglobin were also determined. The total plasm a proteins and albumin were significantly lower in all the malnourishe d cases compared to the controls, with marked hypoproteinaemia among t hose cases with kwashiorkor. Plasma triglycerides were significantly l ower in the malnourished group, when compared to controls. With dietar y treatment, plasma triglycerides rose significantly accompanied with regression in liver size. Four out of the 17 children with kwashiorkor , had died; they had the lowest serum albumin concentrations of all th e cases studied. The mean haemoglobin concentration of those who died was also significantly lower than that of the survivors.