Diagnostic potential of serum vitamin E tocopherol and cholesterol levels in children with protein energy malnutrition in western Kenya
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Date
2003Author
Kwena, AM
Nyandieka, HS
Type
ArticleLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
To determine the levels and diagnostic potential of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) in protein energy malnutrition (PEM) in western Kenya.
DESIGN:
Passive Hospital based study conducted on inpatients and outpatients.
SETTING:
Webuye sub-District and Moi Teaching and referral Hospitals, Western Kenya.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS:
Serum levels for vitamin E and cholesterol concentrations in children < 5 years of age (n=56) admitted to Webuye District Hospital, Bungoma, Western Kenya and some (n=3) admitted to Moi teaching and referral Hospital, Eldoret Kenya suffering from Kwashiorkor, Marasmus or PEM and malaria plus there controls, for a period of one year (January-December, 2001) were examined. High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Spectrophotometry were used for the analysis.
RESULTS:
The serum vitamin E levels were higher in Kwashiorkor (0.078 mg/ml, SD 0.034) than marasmus (0.075 mg/ml; SD 0.069) and controls (0.057 mg/ml; SD 0.022). The mean serum cholesterol levels were higher in marasmus (204.6 mg/dl; SD 104.8) than Kwashiorkor (186.0 mg/dl; SD 119.3) and controls (154.3; SD 33.3). There was a significant correlation in vitamin E concentrations between Kwashiorkor and controls only at P<0.01 as compared to Marasmus and Marasmic/Kwashiorkor. Vitamin E levels did not show significant correlation to cholesterol in malnourished children from Webuye, Bungoma in western Kenya at P<0.01.
CONCLUSION:
Vitamin E could be a useful diagnostic tool for PEM in this area
URI
http://hinari-gw.who.int/whalecomwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/whalecom0/pubmed/14601784http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/30781
Citation
East Afr Med J. 2003 Aug;80(8):419-23Publisher
Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, Moi University
Collections
- Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) [10387]