[Reference values of urinary orotic acid in a healthy Tunisian population].
BACKGROUND
Orotic acid (OA) is an intermediary metabolite of pyrimidine synthesis. An elevation of urinary orotic acid excretion has been described in congenital defect of the urea cycle enzymes and in primary orotic aciduria. Several techniques have been used to measure OA and many reference values are published without considering age and sex.


METHODS
The reference values of urinary OA excretion, expressed in mumol/mmol of creatinine, are reported in a healthy Tunisan population using a colorimetric method. The study included 20 men and 20 women (age = 31 +/- 11 years) and 30 children aged from 3 days to 8 years.


RESULTS
There was a significant increase (P < 0.01) of urinary OA excretion in women (4.38 +/- 1.35) compared to men (3.26 +/- 0.80) and of children (5.03 +/- 1.14) compared to adults (3.82 +/- 1.24). Urinary OA excretion was significantly higher among children aged less than 1 year compared to older children.


CONCLUSIONS
It is necessary for every laboratory practicing this kind of exploration to have its own norms which depend on both age and sex.
el Khiari
D
D
Laboratoire de biochimie, hôpital La Rabta, Tunis, Tunisie.
Tebib
N
N
Kaabachi
N
N
Feki
M
M
Ben Hamouda
Y
Y
Mebazaa
A
A
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003404:Creatinine / Q000652:urine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009963:Orotic Acid / Q000652:urine*; D012016:Reference Values; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D014416:Tunisia
D009963:Orotic Acid; D003404:Creatinine