Relationship between age and serum lipids in malnourished and well-fed pre-school children in Zaria, Nigeria

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between age and serum total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) in malnourished and well-fed pre-school Nigerian children in Zaria, northern
Nigeria. Materials and Methods: Serum total cholesterol (TC) and TG concentrations were measured in 115 malnourished and 115 age- and gender-matched well-fed children aged one (1)-three (3) years. These consisted of 25, 30, 30 and 30 children with kwashiorkor, marasmic-kwashiorkor, marasmus and underweight, respectively with their corresponding age- and gender-matched well-fed children. There were 60 males and 55 females each ofmalnourished andwell-fed children. Concentrations of TC and TG were measured by enzymatic colorimetric method using reagent kits supplied by HUMAN, Gesel Für Biochemical Und Diagnostica mbH (Wiesbaden,Germany). Results: Therewas no correlation between age and serumTC inmalnourished children(r = 0.0101, p = 0.9250), while the correlation was negative and significant in well-fed children(r =0.3599, p =0.3110). Similarly, there was no correlation between age and serumTGinmalnourished chidren(r = 0.0605, p = 0.4623) but negative and significant correlation inwell-fed children(r = 0.3210, p = 0.0001). Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrate that in well-fed pre-school children, serum lipids decrease with advancing age and that this pattern was abolished in malnourished children. This contribution should be noted and consideredwhen interpreting serumlipid results in children.

Keywords: Protein-energy malnutrition, malnourished children, well -fed children, serum lipids, pre-school children.