Transcobalamin II in protein-energy malnutrition among residents of the Kivu area.
Transcobalamin II, the crucial transport protein for vitamin B12, was measured in protein-energy malnutrition patients and healthy controls. No significant difference between these two groups was observed. Treated patients showed higher concentrations than those on admission. The striking observation was, however, that all African subjects studied in Lwiro, Zaïre, had very high transcobalamin II levels compared to Europeans living either in Brussels or in Lwiro, and compared to Africans living in Brussels. This observation seems therefore not simply related to genetic or to environmental factors. No evident explanation is yet available.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015023:Democratic Republic of the Congo; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007732:Kwashiorkor / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D044469:Racial Groups; D012737:Sex Factors; D014155:Transcobalamins / Q000378:metabolism*
D001798:Blood Proteins; D014155:Transcobalamins