Abstract
In this study the level of some of the extracellular antioxidant proteins were investigated in 14 marasmic (M), 19 kwashiorkor (KWO), and 9 healthy children. Weight/age (W/A) and length/age (H/A) were assessed for each child. Serum level of each of ferritin, transferrin, ceruloplasmin, haptoglobin, hemopexin, and albumin were determined. W/A and H/A z-scores for both M and KWO children were less than -4.0, whereas those for healthy children were normal for weight (<-1.65) but less than -2.0 for the length. Mean serum ferritin level was significantly increased above the normal level for both M and KWO groups. Mean serum levels of the other five proteins were significantly reduced in KWO children. In M children, the mean level of each of transferrin, ceruloplasmin, and albumin was reduced but was still significantly higher than that in KWO children. By Pearson correlation analysis, serum albumin in both M and KWO children was highly significantly correlated with weight as well as with each of serum transferrin, ceruloplasmin, hemopexin, and haptoglobin.
