Blood biochemical tests in the diagnosis of malnutrition
Kumar, V.; Chandrasekharan, R.; Belvalgidad, M.I.
Indian Pediatrics 12(10): 955-959
1975
ISSN/ISBN: 0019-6061 PMID: 1228117 Document Number: 89107
Serum glucose, urea N, amylase, proteins and albumin were estimated in fasting blood samples from 264 Indian children admitted to hospital with different degrees of protein-energy malnutrition but free of infectious disease. There was a significant fall in urea N and amylase with mild and moderate degrees of malnutrition, but no progressive decline with fall in bodyweight. Serum albumin showed a progressive decrease with decrease in bodyweight. Using multivariant analysis an equation was constructed to predict the bodyweight as a percentage of the expected weight-for-age from the values obtained for these three constituents; satisfactory agreement, within 95% confidence limits between predicted and measured values, was obtained. It is inferred that simple biochemical values may permit a preliminary diagnosis of malnutrition if age or bodyweight is unknown.