Essential fatty acid depletion in children with inflammatory bowel disease.
OBJECTIVE
Children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) suffer from malabsorption and malnutrition and therefore may be at risk of developing polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) deficiency. The aim of this study was to investigate PUFA status in children with IBD and the possible relationship to disease activity and nutritional status.


METHODS
We assessed the fatty acid composition of plasma phospholipids (%wt/wt) of 21 children aged 5.5-18 years with IBD (ulcerative colitis, 15; Crohn's disease, 6) with mild or moderate disease activity. The clinical symptoms and biochemical indices of disease activity and nutritional status (lean and fat body mass, Hb, albumin serum conc.) were also determined.


RESULTS
The patients had lower phospholipid PUFAs than 13 healthy, aged-matched controls (25.8+/-5.2 versus 34.2+/-5.7, M+/-SD, p<0.001), mainly due to lower values of linoleic acid (18:2n-6, 14.0+/-3.8 versus 18.3+/-4.3, p<0.01) and its major metabolite arachidonic acid (20:4n-6, 5.3+/-2.0 versus 9.3+/-1.9, p<0.0001). There were also higher values of a-linolenic acid (18:3n-3, 0.3+/-0.4 versus 0.2+/-0.1, p<0.01) while the long-chain n-3 PUFA-eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids were normal. Total n-6 PUFA correlated inversely to erythrocyte sedimentation rate (p<0.01), seromucoid (p<0.05) and positively to Hb concentration (p<0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Children with inflammatory bowel disease have a high risk of n-6 PUFA depletion, which is related to disease activity.
Socha
Piotr
P
Department Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Immunology, The Children's Memorial Health Institute, Warszawa, Poland. sochap@czd.waw.pl
Ryzko
Józef
J
Koletzko
Berthold
B
Celinska-Cedro
Danuta
D
Woynarowski
Marek
M
Czubkowski
Piotr
P
Socha
Jerzy
J
D000293:Adolescent; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000378:metabolism*; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000378:metabolism*; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency*; D005395:Fish Oils / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D008286:Malabsorption Syndromes / Q000378:metabolism; D009752:Nutritional Status; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000097:blood
D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D005395:Fish Oils; D010743:Phospholipids