[Inflammation mediators (C reactive protein) in children with proteic-energetic malnutrition and in eutrophic children].
A multicentrical clinical study was designed with the purpose of measuring C-reactive protein (CRP) in normal and malnourished children, with and without infection. Blood samples were collected without anticoagulant from 109 venezuelan children, between the ages of 6 months and 6 years. The statistical analysis was carried out using the t Student and ANOVA. The values of CRP were higher (80.80 +/- 38.39 mg/L) in severe malnourished infected than non-infected malnourished children (8.17 +/- 3.06 mg/L, p < 0.001). There were statistical differences between severe malnourished infected and eutrophic infected children (p < 0.001). There was also a difference between the non infected, severely malnourished children and the rest of them, although they kept their values within a normal range. These findings indicate that the malnourished child is able to produce CRP in response to infection but in a different way that the eutrophic child. In children without infection, the CRP levels were kept within the normal range.
Amesty-Valbuena
Alis
A
Facultad de Medicina, Universidad del Zulia, Maracaibo, Venezuela. aamesty@hotmail.com
Pereira
Nayda
N
Castillo
José L
JL
García
Doris
D
Nuñez
José R
JR
Cayana
Neyda
N
Morán
Aida
A
Parra
Maria A
MA
Troconiz
Carmen
C
D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011502:Protein-Energy Malnutrition / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D002097:C-Reactive Protein