Does serum albumin/phospholipid index better reflect overall protein status in man?
Serum albumin concentration is a commonly used, but inadequate index of protein status in man. A study of serum lipid changes in malnourished children reported a progressive increase in serum phospholipid concentration with deterioration of protein status in the children. This led us to assess the usefulness of serum albumin/phospholipid index (API) in groups of healthy young adults, malnourished children, and their age-and-sex-matched well-nourished controls. We found that API discriminated between malnourished and well-nourished children. There was no difference between the index for well-nourished children and adults in spite of differences in body sizes. However, since serum albumin showed a similar discrimination between malnourished and well-nourished children, API may possibly not be superior to serum albumin in the assessment of protein status in man.
Ogunkeye
O O
OO
Department of Chemical Pathology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Jos, Nigeria.
Ighogboja
S I
SI
Adeniyi
K O
KO
D000328:Adult; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000097:blood*; D009752:Nutritional Status; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000097:blood*; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000032:analysis*
D010743:Phospholipids; D011506:Proteins; D012709:Serum Albumin